Bone histology of the titanosaur Lirainosaurus astibiae (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the Latest Cretaceous of Spain

[EN] The titanosaur Lirainosaurus astibiae is the only sauropod species known from the Late Cretaceous of the Iberian Peninsula. Lirainosaurus did not reach a gigantic body size and is one of the smallest sauropods discovered to date. Histological analysis of Lirainosaurus bones, focused on diaphyseal transverse sections of appendicular elements, reveals that Lirainosaurus did not exhibit the osseous microstructure typical for large sauropods, but is comparable with that of the coeval titanosaurs Alamosaurus sanjuanensis, Ampelosaurus atacis, and Magyarosaurus dacus, and also shares histological traits with other small to medium-sized sauropodomorph dinosaurs. Lirainosaurus limb bones exhibit a laminar fibrolamellar bone microstructure interrupted by growth marks, fully obliterated in adulthood by intense secondary remodeling processes which tend to replace completely the primary cortex. Lirainosaurus attained smaller sizes than typical sauropods reducing the rate of primary periosteal osteogenesis and developing an extensive secondary remodeling well before the adult size was reached. Histological organization of Lirainosaurus long bones is more mature than observed in basal neosauropods at similar ontogenetic stage, documenting a case of peramorphosis by pre-displacement. This heterochronic growth would be a reversal of the accelerated pattern of bone deposition typical for the sauropod lineage.I am very grateful to Fabien Knoll (Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid), Attila Osi (Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest), JeffWilson (University of Michigan, Michigan), and Holly Woodward (Montana State University, Montana) for reading and commenting on an early version of the manuscript. Two anonymous reviewers also improved the manuscript with constructive reviews. Miquel De Renzi (University of Valencia, Valencia) helped with morphometric estimations. Xabier Pereda-Suberbiola and Veronica Diez (Universidad del Pais Vasco, Vizcaya) proportioned helpful measurements of specimens housed at MCNA (Vitoria, Spain) and MNHN (Paris, France). Finally, I would also to express my deepest gratitude to Thomas Lehman (Texas Tech University, Texas) for sharing with me his knowledge, for providing many helpful suggestions and for an exhaustive review of the manuscript. This research was partly supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (MICINN, project CGL2007-64061/BTE)Company Rodríguez, J. (2011). Bone histology of the titanosaur Lirainosaurus astibiae (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the Latest Cretaceous of Spain. The Science of Nature. 98(1):67-78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-010-0742-3S6778981Alexander RM (1989) Dynamics of dinosaurs and other extinct giants. 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Johns Hopkins University Press, BaltimoreCompany J (2005) Longbone histology of Lirainosaurus astibiae (Sauropodomorpha: Titanosauria) from the Upper Campanian of Chera, Spain. Kaupia 14:76Company J, Pereda-Suberbiola X, Ruiz-Omeñaca JI (2009) Nuevos restos fósiles del dinosaurio Lirainosaurus (Sauropoda, Titanosauria) en el Cretácico superior (Campaniano-Maastrichtiano) de la Península Ibérica. Ameghiniana 46:391–405Cormack D (1987) Ham’s histology. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, New YorkCsiki Z, Grigorescu D (2007) The “Dinosaur Island”. New interpretation of the Hateg Basin vertebrate fauna after 110 years. Acta Mus Dev Ser Sci Nat Deva XX, Sargetia, pp 5–26Csiki Z, Codrea V, Jipa-Murzea C, Godefroit P (2010) A partial titanosaur (Sauropoda, Dinosauria) skeleton from the Maastrichtian of Nălaţ-Vad, Haţeg Basin, Romania. N Jb Geol Paläont Abh. doi: 10.1127/0077-7749/2010/0098Curry KA (1999) Ontogenetic histology of Apatosaurus (Dinosauria: Sauropoda): new insights on growth rates and longevity. J Vert Paleont 19:654–665Curry-Rogers KA (2005) Titanosauria: a phyllogenetic overview. In: Curry-Rogers KA, Wilson JA (eds) The sauropods: evolution and paleobiology. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp 50–103Curry-Rogers KA, Erickson GM (2005) Sauropod histology. In: Curry-Rogers KA, Wilson JA (eds) The sauropods: evolution and paleobiology. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp 303–326de Ricqlès AJ (1983) Cyclical growth in the long limb bones of a sauropod dinosaur. Acta Paleontol Pol 28:225–232Erickson GM (2005) Assessing dinosaur growth patterns: a microscopic revolution. Trends Ecol Evolut. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2005.08.012Erickson GM, Makovicky PJ, Currie PJ, Norell MA, Yerby SA, Brochu CA (2004) Gigantism and comparative life-history parameters of tyrannosaurid dinosaurs. 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J Vert Paleont 26(Suppl to No 3):85AKlein N, Sander M, Suteethorn V (2009) Bone histology and its implications for the life history and growth of the Early Cretaceous titanosaur Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae. In: Buffetaut E, Cuny G, Le Loeuff J, Suteethorn V (eds) Late Palaeozoic and Mesozoic ecosystems in SE Asia. The Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 315, pp 217–228. doi: 10.1144/SP315.15Köler M, Moyà-Solà S (2009) Physiological and life history strategies of a fossil large mammal in a resource-limited environment. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 106:20354–20358. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0813385106Le Loeuff J (2005) Romanian Late Cretaceous dinosaurs: big dwarfs or small giants? Hist Biol 17:15–17Lee AH, Werning S (2008) Sexual maturity in growing dinosaurs does not fit reptilian growth models. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105:582–587. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0708903105ERLehman TM (2007) Growth and population age structure in the horned dinosaur Chasmosaurus. In: Carpenter K (ed) Horns and beaks: ceratopsian and ornithopod dinosaurs. Indiana University Press, Bloomington, pp 259–317Lehman TM, Woodward HN (2008) Modeling growth rates for sauropod dinosaurs. Paleobiology 34:264–281Martín-Chivelet M, Berásategui X, Rosales I et al (2002) Cretaceous. In: Gibbons W, Moreno MT (eds) The geology of Spain. The Geological Society, London, pp 255–256McNamara KJ (1986) A guide to the nomenclature of heterochrony. J Paleontol 60:4–13Nopcsa F (1914) Über das Vorkommen der Dinosaurier in Siebenbürgen. Verh Zool Bot Ges 54:12–14Padian K, Horner JR, De Ricqlès A (2004) Growth in small dinosaurs and pterosaurs: the evolution of archosaurian growth strategies. J Vert Paleont 24:555–571Reid REH (1981) Lamellar–zonal bone with zones and annuli in the pelvis of a sauropod dinosaur. Nature 292:49–51Reid REH (1990) Zonal “growth rings” in dinosaurs. 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Science 322:200–201Sander PM, Tückmantel C (2003) Bone lamina thickness, bone apposition rates, and age estimates in sauropod humeri and femora. Paläontol Zeit 77:161–172Sander PM, Klein N, Buffetaut E, Cuny G, Suteethorn V, Le Loeuff J (2004) Adaptive radiation in sauropod dinosaurs: bone histology indicates rapid evolution of giant body size through acceleration. Org Divers Evol 4:165–173. doi: 10.1016/j.ode.2003.12.002Sander PM, Mateus O, Laven T, Knötschke N (2006) Bone histology indicates insular dwarfism in a new Late Jurassic sauropod dinosaur. Nature 41:739–741Sanz JL, Powell JE, Le Loeuff J, Martinez R, Pereda-Suberbiola X (1999) Sauropod remains from the Upper Cretaceous of Laño (northcentral Spain). Titanosaur phylogenetic relationships. Estud Mus Cienc Nat Alava 14(Núm Esp 1):235–255Stein K, Sander PM (2009) Quantifying growth rates in island dwarf sauropods. Darwin–Bernissart Meeting, Brussels, Programme and Abstracts 9–13Stein K, Sander PM, Csiki Z, Curry-Rogers K, Weishampel, DB (2008). Nopcsa’s legacy supported: Magyarosaurus dacus (Sauropoda: Titanosauria) bone histology suggests dwarfism on a palaeo-island. Symposium of Palaeontological Preparation and Conservation Annual Meeting, Dublin, Programme and Abstracts 50–51Stein K, Csiki Z, Rogers KC, Weishampel DB, Redelstorff R, Carballido JL, Sander PM (2010) Small body size and extreme cortical bone remodeling indicate phyletic dwarfism in Magyarosaurus dacus (Sauropoda: Titanosauria). PNAS 107(20):9258–9263. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1000781107Turvey ST, Green OR, Holdaway RN (2005) Cortical growth marks reveal extended juvenile development in New Zealand moa. Nature 435:940–943, 10.1038/nature03635Upchurch P, Barrett PM, Dodson P (2004) Sauropoda. In: Weishampel DB, Dodson P, Osmólska H (eds) The Dinosauria, 2nd edn. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp 259–322Wilson JA (2002) Sauropod dinosaur phylogeny: critique and cladistic analysis. Zool J Linn Soc 136:217–276Wilson JA, Carrano MT (1999) Titanosaurs and the origin of “wide-gauge” trackways: a biomechanical and systematic perspective on sauropod locomotion. Paleobiology 25:252–257Woodward HN, Lehman TM (2009) Bone histology and microanatomy of Alamosaurus sanjuanensis (Sauropoda: Titanosauria) from the Maastrichtian of Big Bend National Park, Texas. J Vert Paleont 29:807–82

Long bone histology of a eusuchian crocodyliform from the Upper Cretaceous of Spain: Implications for growth strategy in extinct crocodiles

[EN] The long bone histology of a Late Cretaceous eusuchian crocodyliform from the Iberian Peninsula reveals clear variations in the cortical structure which reflects changes in the speed of bone deposition (i.e., skeletal growth) related to ontogeny. The presence of secondary woven-fibred bone tissue in the perimedullar region of the cortex, and the existence of an external fundamental system in the most external periostic cortex, which is a proxy for somatic maturity and effective cessation of growth, challenges the former idea that the growth strategy of extinct crocodylians fit in the typical ectotherm condition, according to which these animals grew slowly during life under an indeterminate growth strategy. The analysed specimen lived for a minimum of 16 years and the highest preserved apposition rates took place in an advanced ontogenetic stage. The study suggests that the general aspects of the modern crocodylian growth strategy were already in place in some lineages by the Cretaceous. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.The research was supported by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad of Spain (Secretaria de Estado de Investigacion, Desarrollo e Innovacion, projects CGL2013-47521-P and CGL2014-53548-P), the European Regional Development Fund, and the Gobierno Vasco/Eusko Jaurlaritza (research group IT 834-13).Company Rodríguez, J.; Pereda-Suberbiola, X. (2017). Long bone histology of a eusuchian crocodyliform from the Upper Cretaceous of Spain: Implications for growth strategy in extinct crocodiles. Cretaceous Research. 72:1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2016.12.002S177

Geomechanical characterization and analysis of the Upper Cretaceous flysch materials found in the Basque Arc Alpine region

[EN] Flysch materials are one of the most challenging geological materials and often give rise to slope instability problems. Due to its natural heterogeneity, geomechanical characterization of flysch materials is somewhat difficult. The Spanish Basque Arc Alpine region is a very well-known location for flysch materials. In this paper, an area of approximately 100 km(2) in the region is intensively studied and their flysch materials geomechanically characterized. A total of 33 locations are investigated by a broad geological-geotechnical investigation, involving petrographic analyses, geomechanical stations, boreholes, and mechanical laboratory tests. In addition, a slope inventory was carried out to assess the situation in the existing slopes in the area. Characterization of materials is carried out in terms of RQD, RMR, and GSI as well as using the Hoek-Brown failure criterion. Different correlations are assessed, establishing their appropriateness for estimating the mechanical parameters of a flysch material rock mass.Financial support was provided by the Department of Geological and Geotechnical Engineering of the UPV.Garzón-Roca, J.; Torrijo, F.; Company Rodríguez, J.; Cobos Campos, G. (2021). Geomechanical characterization and analysis of the Upper Cretaceous flysch materials found in the Basque Arc Alpine region. Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment. 80(10):7831-7846. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-021-02383-378317846801

Estimation of cerchar abrasivity index of andesitic rocks in Ecuador from chemical compounds and petrographical properties using regression analyses

[EN] An important issue in any rock engineering project is the adequate prediction of tool consumption. Excavation tools are subjected to wear, and repair/replacement of those tools is usually an important expense on any excavation budget. The key factor that affects wear of excavation tools is rock abrasivity. In mining and civil engineering, rock abrasivity is typically measured by the Cerchar abrasivity index (CAI), which is obtained in laboratory from a Cerchar abrasivity test. This paper studied the relation between CAI and the chemical compounds and petrographical properties of andesitic rocks from the central area of Ecuador. A series of regression analyses are performed to study the influence of the different chemical compounds and petrographical properties on the CAI value. Results show that it is possible to make a good estimation of CAI from the plagioclase grain size and/or the content of SiO2, FeO, MgO, CaO, Na2O and K2O compounds.Torrijo, F.; Garzón-Roca, J.; Company Rodríguez, J.; Cobos Campos, G. (2018). Estimation of cerchar abrasivity index of andesitic rocks in Ecuador from chemical compounds and petrographical properties using regression analyses. Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment. 1-14. doi:10.1007/s10064-018-1306-6S114Al-Ameen SL, Waller MD (1994) The influence of rock strength and abrasive mineral content on the CERCHAR abrasive index. Eng Geol 36:293–301Alber M (2007) Stress dependency of the Cerchar Abrasivity index (CAI) and its effects on wear of selected rock cutting tools. Tunn Undergr Space Technol 9:351–539Alber M (2008) Stress dependency of the Cerchar abrasivity index (CAI) and its effects on wear of selected rock cutting tools. Tunn Undergr Space Technol 23:351–359Alber M, Yaralı O, Dahl F, Bruland A, Käsling H, Michalakopoulos TN, Cardu M, Hagan P, Aydın H, Özarslan A (2014) ISRM suggested method for determining the abrasivity of rock by the CERCHAR abrasivity test. Rock Mech Rock Eng 47:261–266ASTM D3967 (2001) Standard test method for splitting tensile strength of intact rock core specimens. American Society for Testing and Materials, West ConshohockenASTM D7012 (2010) Standard test method for compressive strength and elastic module of intact rock core specimens under varying states of stress and temperatures. American Society for Testing and Materials, West ConshohockenASTM D7625 (2010) Standard test method for laboratory determination of abrasiveness of rock using the CERCHAR method. American Society for Testing and Materials, West ConshohockenAtkinson T, Cassapi VB, Singh RN (1986a) Assessment of abrasive wear resistance potential in rock excavation machinery. Int J Min Geol Eng 3:151–163Atkinson T, Denby B, Cassapi VB (1986b) Problems associated with rock material properties in surface mining equipment selection. Trans Inst Min Metall Section A Miner Ind 95:A80–A86Boland MP, Pilatasig LF, Ibandango CE, McCourt WJ, Aspden JA, Hughes RA, Beate B (2000) Geology of the western cordillera between 0°-1°N, mining development and environmental control project, map and geological information program, report no. 10, (Proyecto de Desarrollo Minero y control Ambiental, Programa de Informacion cartografica y Geológica, Informe no. 10), CODIGEM-BGS, Quito, Ecuador, p 72 (In Spanish)CERCHAR (1986) The CERCHAR abrasiveness index. Centre d’Etudes et des Recherches des Charbonages de France, Verneuil, FranceDeliormanlı A (2011) Cerchar abrasivitiy index (CAI) and its relation to strength and abrasion test methods for marble stones. Constr Build Mat 30:16–21Deliormanlı AH (2012) Cerchar abrasivity index (CAI) and its relation to strength and abrasion test methods for marble stones. Constr Build Mater 30:16–21Er S, Tugrul A (2016a) Correlation of physico-mechanical properties of granitic rocks with Cerchar Abrasivity index in Turkey. Measurement 91:114–123Er S, Tugrul A (2016b) Estimation of Cerchar abrasivity index of granitic rocks in Turkey by geological properties using regression analysis. B Eng Geol Environ 75(3):1325–1339Fowell RJ, Abu Bakar MZ (2007) A review of the Cerchar and LCPC rock abrasivity measurement methods. Proceeding of the 11th congress of the International Society for Rock Mechanics 155–160Hamzaban MT, Memarian H, Rostami J (2014a) Continuous monitoring of pin tip wear and penetration into rock surface using a new Cerchar abrasivity testing device. Rock Mech Rock Eng 47(2):689–701Hamzaban MT, Memarian H, Rostami J, Ghasemi-Monfared H (2014b) Study of rock-pin interaction in Cerchar abrasivity test. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 72:100–108ISRM (2007) The complete ISRM suggested methods for rock characterization, testing and monitoring: 1974–2006. International Society for Rock Mechanics, LisbonKahraman S, Alber M, Fener M, Gunaydin O (2010) The usability of Cerchar abrasivity index for the prediction of UCS and E of Misis fault breccia: regression and artificial neural networks analysis. Expert Syst Appl 37:8750–8756Käsling H, Thuro K (2010) Determining abrasivity of rock in the laboratory. European Rock Mechanics Symposium. EUROCK 2010, Laussane, SwitzerlandLassnig K, Latal C, Klima K (2008) Impact of grain size on the Cerchar abrasiveness test. Ernst and Sohn Verlag für Architektur und technische Wissenschaften GmbH and Co. KG. Berlin Geomechanik und Tunnelbau 1, Heft 1Majeed Y, Abu Bakar MZ (2016) Statistical evaluation of CERCHAR Abrasivity index (CAI) measurement methods and dependence on petrographic and mechanical properties of selected rocks of Pakistan. Bull Eng Geol Environ 75:1341–1360Michalakopoulos TN, Anagnostou VG, Bassanou ME, Panagiotou GN (2005) The influence of steel styli hardness on the Cerchar abrasiveness index value. Inter J Rock Mech Mining Sci Geomechan Abstracts 43:321–327Moradizadeh M, Ghafoori M, Lashkaripour GR, Tarigh Azali S (2013) Utilizing geological properties for predicting cerchar abrasiveness index (CAI) in sandstones. Int J Emerg Technol Advan Eng 3(9):99–109NF P 94–430-1 (2000) Determination du pouvoir abrasif d’une roche— Partie 1: Essai de rayure avec une pointe. Association française de Normalisation (AFNOR), ParisPlinninger R, Kasling H, Thuro K, Spaun G (2003) Testing conditions and geomechanical properties in influencing the CERCHAR abrasiveness index (CAI) value. J Rock Mech Mining Sci 40:159–263Rostami J, Ghasemi A, Gharahbagh AE, Dogruoz C, Dahl F (2014) Study of dominant factors affecting cerchar abrasivity index. Mech Rock Eng 47:1905–1919StatPoint Technologies, Inc (2009) STATGRAPHICS centurion XVI user manual. StatPoint Technologies Inc, The PlainsSuana M, Peters T (1982) The CERCHAR abrasivity index and its relation to rock mineralogy and petrography. Rock Mech Rock Eng 15:1–7Thuro K (1997) Prediction of drillability in hard rock tunneling by drilling and blasting. In: Golser, Hinkel and Schubert (Eds.) Tunnels for people, Balkema, Rotterdam, pp 103–108Vallejo C (2007) Evolution of the western cordillera in the Andes of Ecuador (late cretaceous–Paleogene). Dissertation, Institute of Geology, ETH ZürichVallejo C, Winkler W, Spikings RA, Luzieux L, Heller F, Bussy F (2009) Mode and timing of terrane accretion in the forearc of the Andes in Ecuador. In: Kay SM, Ramos VA, Dickinson WR (Eds.) Backbone of the Americas: shallow subduction, plateau uplift, and ridge and terrane collision. Geol Soc Am Mem 204:197–216Vera RH (2016) Geology of Ecuador. Iberia, QuitoVezzoli L, Apuani T, Corazzato C, Uttini A (2017) Geological and geotechnical characterization of the debris avalanche and pyroclastic deposits of Cotopaxi volcano (Ecuador). A contribute to instability-related hazard studies. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 332:51–70West G (1989) Rock abrasiveness testing for tunneling. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci Geomech Abstr 26:151–160Yarali O, Yasar E, Bacak G, Ranjith PG (2008) A study of rock abrasivity and tool wear in coal measures rocks. Int J Coal Geol 74:53–6

Designing Soil-Nailed Walls Using the Amherst Wall Considering Problematic Issues during Execution and Service Life

[EN] Soil nailing is a technique commonly used as a temporary or permanent earth-retention system in soft soils. Habitually, the design of a soil nailing focuses on its performance at failure and computing a safety factor, thus neglecting ground deformations. In this study, an analysis and a comparison of the convenience of the use of the limit-equilibrium method and the FEM for designing a soil nailing were conducted. The assessment considered both the suitability of an easy and fast design process and the necessity to take into account such issues as ground deformations to avoid problematic consequences that can arise during the execution phase and service life. For performing the analyses, a numerical study of the Amherst wall, a full-scale soil-nailed wall built to be an experimental test in the last years of the twentieth century, was carried out. A two-step process for designing soil-nailed walls is proposed. The first step involves the use of limit-equilibrium methods to define the main parameters. The second step deals with the development of a finite-element model to consider ground deformations and determine nail forces. An approach based on the use the Mohr-Coulomb model for simulating materials more similar to granular soils and the hardening soil model for simulating materials more similar to cohesive soils is also presented as an answer for the numerical modeling of soil-nailed walls in ground situations where the soil is neither purely cohesive nor purely granular.Garzón-Roca, J.; Capa-Guachon, VE.; Torrijo, F.; Company Rodríguez, J. (2019). Designing Soil-Nailed Walls Using the Amherst Wall Considering Problematic Issues during Execution and Service Life. International Journal of Geomechanics. 19(7):1-14. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0001453S11419

Presence of diminutive hadrosaurids (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) in the Maastrichtian of the south-central Pyrenees (Spain)

In recent years a rich and diverse fauna of hadrosaurid dinosaurs has been described in the Upper Cretaceous of the Pyrenees. Recent fieldwork carried out in the upper Maastrichtian levels of the Tremp Formation, in the south-central Pyrenees (province of Huesca, northeastern Spain), has allowed us to recover diminutive fossil bones referable to hadrosaurid dinosaurs. To date, small-sized specimens had not been reported in the area. The remains consist of small vertebrae and fragmentary long bones found in a relatively small area, so it is assumed that they probably belong to individuals of a single population. A morphological examination and a histological study reveal that they represent specimens of advanced ontogenetic stage and allow the identification of an undescribed taxon of small-bodied hadrosaurids. In other parts of Europe, discoveries of small dinosaurs have been linked to insularity. These findings bring to light the smallest hadrosaurid known in Europe to date.This paper forms part of the projects CGL2010-16447, CGL2010-18851/BTE and CGL2013-47521-P, subsidized by the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad and the European Regional Development Fund. In addition the Government of Aragon ("Grupos Consolidados'' and "Direccion General de Patrimonio Cultural'') has subsidized the fieldwork. The second author received a postdoctoral grant from the Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnologia e Innovacion Productiva del Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET). The study of the specimens housed at the NHM (London) has been suported by a study grant funded by the Caja de Ahorros de la Inmaculada (Zaragoza) to the second author in 2006. The manuscript has greatly benefited from reviews by Edina Prondvai (MTA-ELTE Lendulet Dinosaur Research Group, Budapest) and David B. Weishampel (Johns Hopkins University - School of Medicine, Baltimore). Special thanks also are owed to J.I. Ruiz-Omenaca (Museo Jurasico de Asturias-MUJA, Colunga) and Xabier Pereda-Suberbiola (Universidad del Pais Vasco, UPV/EHU, Bilbao) for providing helpful information on Nopcsa's work. Rupert Glasgow corrected the English text.Company Rodríguez, J.; Cruzado Caballero, P.; Canudo, J. (2015). Presence of diminutive hadrosaurids (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) in the Maastrichtian of the south-central Pyrenees (Spain). Journal of Iberian Geology. 41(1):71-81. doi:10.5209/rev_JIGE.2015.v41.n1.48656718141

First description of ornithopod dinosaur skeletal remains from the Villar del Arzobispo Formation (JurassicCretaceous transition): Cerrito del Olmo locality (Alpuente, Valencia, E Spain)

[EN] The Villar del Arzobispo Formation (Tithonian-Berriasian) in Teruel and Valencia provinces (SE Iberian Range) has yielded abundant skeletal remains of dinosaurs, mainly of sauropods and stegosaurs. Three vertebrae collected in the locality of Cerrito del Olmo I (Alpuente, Valencia province), two of them previously referred to the stegosaurid Dacentrurus armatus, belong in fact to an ornithopod. The material consists of one cervical and two caudal centra that preserve the base of the neural arch fused to the centrum. These remains are here assigned to Ornithopoda indet. on the basis of the combination of several characters more frequent in ornithopods than in stegosaurs. This is the first description of ornithopod skeletal remains from the Villar del Arzobispo Formation.Investigación financiada por los proyectos CGL2007-64061/BTE (X.P.S, J.C.) y CGL2007/62469/BTE (J.I.R.-O.) del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, el grupo de investigación GIC 07/14-361 del Gobierno Vasco/EJ (X.P.S.) y el Protocolo de colaboración CN-04-226 entre la Consejería de Cultura y Turismo del Principado de Asturias y la Universidad de Oviedo (J.I.R-O). Nuestro agradecimiento a la Dra. Margarita Belinchón (MCNV) por su ayuda durante el estudio del material, y a la Dra. Gloria Cuenca-Bescós por la revisión del trabajo.Pereda-Suberbiola, X.; Ruiz-Omeñaca, JI.; Company Rodríguez, J. (2010). Primera descripción de restos esqueléticos de dinosaurio ornitópodo en la Formación. Villar del Arzobispo (tránsito Jurásico-Cretácico): yacimiento de Cerrito del Olmo (Alpuente, Valencia). Geogaceta. 47:13-16. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/150357S13164

Archosaurian teeth (Crocodyliformes, Theropoda) from the Late Jurassic of BuÒol (Valencia province, E Spain)

[EN] Five isolated archosaurian teeth from Valencia province (eastern Spain) are studied in this work. They have been found in the ¿Cantera CarcalÌnª site, an outcrop of the marine Higueruelas Formation (Tithonian) in the vicinity of BuÒol town. They represent the first direct evidence of tetrapods in this formation, in which, up to the moment, only dinosaur tracks had been found in a locality of the adjacent Teruel province. Four of the teeth pertain to crocodyliforms, three to indeterminate crocodyliforms and another to a teleosaurid identified as cf. Machimosaurus sp., a taxon already known in the Kimmeridgian of the Iberian Peninsula (Asturias and Portugal). The fifth tooth is assigned to a theropod dinosaur, probably an allosauroid.El equipo de investigación del MUJA está subvencionado por el Protocolo de colaboración CN-04-226 entre la Consejería de Cultura y Turismo del Principado de Asturias y la Universidad de Oviedo. Este trabajo es una contribución a los proyectos CGL2007-62469/BTE(J.I.R-O) y CGL2007-64061/BTE (X.P.S,J.C.) del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, y del grupo de investigación del Gobierno Vasco GIC07/14-361 (X.P.S.).Agradecemos a José Ignacio Canudo (Universidad de Zaragoza) y Francisco Ortega (UNED) la revisión crítica del manuscritoRuiz-Omeñaca, JI.; Pereda-Suberbiola, X.; Company Rodríguez, J.; Belinchón, M. (2010). Dientes de arcosaurios (Crocodyliformes, Theropoda) del Jurásico Superior de Buñol (Valencia). Geogaceta. 48:35-38. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/150323S35384

Características de los ambientes de aprendizaje online para una práctica docente de calidad. Indicadores de evaluación

Contribuir a la mejora de la calidad de la enseñanza y de los resultados de aprendizaje constituye uno de los retos en el sistema universitario actual que exige un gran esfuerzo de coordinación en las acciones de investigación e innovación a desarrollar. Para alcanzar este propósito, desde el grupo de investigación EDUTIC-ADEI (VIGROB-039) de la Universidad de Alicante se ha promovido la constitución de una red docente interdepartamental e interuniversitaria que pretende investigar sobre cómo debe ser la enseñanza online que se desarrolla en el ámbito universitario. Para ello, se ha abordado el concepto de ambiente de aprendizaje en este contexto virtual con el fin de delimitar los parámetros que deben definir una enseñanza de calidad cuando hablamos de e-learning, Masive Open Online Courses [MOOCs], Personal Learning Environment [PLE], etc. La investigación, pues, ahonda en los aspectos curriculares que conforman dichos ambientes de aprendizaje online con el fin de delimitar los parámetros de una enseñanza virtual de calidad

Late Maastrichtian small-sized herpetofauna from Valencia province, eastern Spain

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Historical Biology on 2017, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/08912963.2015.1122004[EN] A Late Maastrichtian microvertebrate assemblage which includes amphibian remains was recovered from continental deposits of the palaeontological site of La Solana, Valencia Province, Spain. This site is composed of variegated mudstones, pedogenically modified, interbedded with fluvial sand bodies and freshwater limestones lenses, and has also yielded plant debris, freshwater and oligohaline invertebrates, abundant fish remains (isolated bones and scales), turtle plates and archosaur bones. This fossil assemblage, dominated by aquatic forms, also includes semiaquatic and terrestrial elements, and may be interpreted as the palaeofauna of a wetland environment with terrestrial environs. The new material described here consists of fragmentary remains of an indeterminate albanerpetontid, a salamandrid and two anuran taxa (an alytid and a palaeobatrachid). The amphibians from La Solana are typical Laurasiatic taxa. This faunal association shows broad similarities to other coeval faunas of the Iberian Peninsula and contrasts with the Upper Campanian¿Lower Maastrichtian sites where Gondwanan elements are frequent.This work was supported by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund [grant number OTKA NF 84193]; the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) [project numbers CGL2013-47521-P and CGL2014-535484].Szentesi, Z.; Company Rodríguez, J. (2017). Late Maastrichtian small-sized herpetofauna from Valencia province, eastern Spain. Historical Biology (Online). 29(1):43-52. https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2015.1122004S4352291Astibia, H., Buffetaut, E., Buscalioni, A. D., Cappetta, H., Corral, C., Estes, R., … Tong, H. (1990). 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