A palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the Middle Jurassic of Sardinia (Italy) based on integrated palaeobotanical, palynological and lithofacies data assessment

During the Jurassic, Sardinia was close to continental Europe. Emerged lands started from a single island forming in time a progressively sinking archipelago. This complex palaeogeographic situation gave origin to a diverse landscape with a variety of habitats. Collection- and literature-based palaeobotanical, palynological and lithofacies studies were carried out on the Genna Selole Formation for palaeoenvironmental interpretations. They evidence a generally warm and humid climate, affected occasionally by drier periods. Several distinct ecosystems can be discerned in this climate, including alluvial fans with braided streams (Laconi-Gadoni lithofacies), paralic swamps and coasts (Nurri-Escalaplano lithofacies), and lagoons and shallow marine environments (Ussassai-Perdasdefogu lithofacies). The non-marine environments were covered by extensive lowland and a reduced coastal and tidally influenced environment. Both the river and the upland/hinterland environments are of limited impact for the reconstruction. The difference between the composition of the palynological and palaeobotanical associations evidence the discrepancies obtained using only one of those proxies. The macroremains reflect the local palaeoenvironments better, although subjected to a transport bias (e.g. missing upland elements and delicate organs), whereas the palynomorphs permit to reconstruct the regional palaeoclimate. Considering that the flora of Sardinia is the southernmost of all Middle Jurassic European floras, this multidisciplinary study increases our understanding of the terrestrial environments during that period of time

Carnets de Géologie / Notebooks on Geology: Memoir 2007/01 (CG2007_M01) . Recent Advances in Palynology

[Progrès récents en Palynologie] A meeting organized by the NFSR Working Group: « Micropaléontologie végétale et Palynologie (MVP) » and supported by the NFSR and the University of Liège

Palaeophytogeographical and palaeoecological implications of a miospore assemblage of earliest Devonian (Lochkovian) age from Saudi Arabia

Palynological samples from two boreholes drilled in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia contain a rich assemblage of cryptospores and trilete spores. They are dated as most probably Lochkovian in age. Intriguingly, the cryptospores are very similar to those from a coeval continental palynomorph assemblage from the Old Red Sandstone Continent, whereas the trilete spores show a strong affinity with miospore assemblages from Western Gondwana. It is suggested that cryptospore-producing plants inhabited confined, damp biotopes and had a wide range of climatic tolerance. On the otherhand, trilete spore-producing plants inhabited a wider variety of biotopes but were more sensitive to climatic variations. The high degree of similarity between Old Red Sandstone and Saudi Arabian cryptospore assemblages favours palaeogeographic reconstructions where there is close proximity between Western Gondwana and Euramerica and/or a land connection between these palaeoplates. Climatic differences between the Old Red Sandstone Continent and the northern part of Western Gondwana can be invoked to explain the variations in the trilete spore assemblages. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Modèles intermédiaires de dynamique océanique.

A partir des équations de Saint Venant décrivant la dynamique d'une couche de fluide mince homogène en rotation, des modèles asymptotiques de fluide géophysique sont développés à l'aide de paramètres adimensionnels. Ces modèles ont la particularité de filtrer les ondes de gravité et de décrire uniquement les mouvements lents. Deux classes de modèles sont introduites : les équations de balance écrites en 3 variables (potentiel de vitesse, fonction de courant, hauteur), et le modèle de géostrophie généralisée écrit uniquement en hauteur. Les avantages et inconvénients respectifs, en précision par rapport aux équations originelles et en conditions d'implémentation numérique, sont discutées. Une application à la dynamique de tourbillons est présentée

Anesthesiology, Autonomy, and Justice: Getting It Right

Ethics in medicine is of great importance. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has determined that Professionalism (including ethics) should be a core competency requirement in resident education. Anesthesiologists will be involved in situations where sound knowledge of ethics principles will be of value in guiding appropriate patient care and coordination of that care. In this report we highlight the importance of patient autonomy and justice, the need for understanding ethics principles, and the value of the formal education of our residents in ethics