The Cook Ice Cap (CIC) on the sub-Antarctic Kerguelen Islands recently experienced extremely negative surface mass balance. Further deglaciation could have important impacts on endemic and invasive fauna and flora. To put this exceptional glacier evolution into a multi-centennial-scale context, we refined the evolution of the CIC over the last millennium, investigated the associated climate conditions and explored its potential evolution by 2100 ce. A glaciological model, constrained by cosmic ray exposure dating of moraines, historical documents and recent direct mass balance observations, was used to simulate the ice-cap extents during different phases of advance and retreat between the last millennium and 2100 ce. Cosmogenic dating suggests glacial advance around the early Little Ice Age (LIA), consistent with findings from other sub-Antarctic studies, and the rather cold and humid conditions brought about by the negative phase of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). This study contributes to our currently limited understanding of palaeoclimate for the early LIA in the southern Indian Ocean. Glaciological modelling and observations confirm the recent decrease in CIC extent linked to the intensification of the SAM. Although affected by large uncertainties, future simulations suggest a complete disappearance of CIC by the end of the century.

Elaeidobius kamerunicus Faust (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) is one of the specific pollinators on inflorescences of the African oil palm Elaeis guineensis Jacquin. This derelomine weevil is native to tropical Africa. During the late 20th century, it was introduced into all tropical regions where E. guineensis is grown, in order to improve its pollination and fruit set. Despite an overall success, a decline in pollination efficiency has been documented in several regions. In this study, we reconstructed a multilocus phylogeography of the world populations of E. kamerunicus, in order to explore its genetic diversity in its native and introduced ranges. Our results showed that African populations of E. kamerunicus are forming two differentiated mitochondrial clusters in West and central Africa, forming a contact zone along the Cameroon Volcanic Line. The existence of this sharp contact zone along this weak altitudinal barrier suggests that other parameters, such as climate, may be driving the distribution of populations. A differential genetic structure between mitochondrial and nuclear genes, and the strong level of genetic structure of the mitochondrial gene, also suggest sex-biased dispersal in this species, with males dispersing more than females. The genetic structure inferred from Asian and South American populations suggests that they originate from populations of both western and central tropical Africa and that a bottleneck has probably been experienced by these populations.

Cardichelyon rogerwoodi is an enigmatic fossil turtle from the late Paleocene to early Eocene of North America. Previous analyses suggested affiliation with Testudinoidea, in particular the big-headed turtle Platysternon megacephalum, based on the presence of multiple musk-duct foramina and a large head. We here highlight previously undocumented characteristics for this turtle, notably the presence of short costiform processes, a rib-like axillary process, and a posterior plastral hinge. Phylogenetic analysis places Cardichelyon rogerwoodi within Testudinoidea, but the exclusion of testudinoids suggest an affiliation with Dermatemydidae. Using consilience with external data we favor placement within Kinosternoidea. Cardichelyon rogerwoodi is therefore an aberrant, hinged kinosternoid that developed in situ in North America during the Paleocene long before the arrival of testudinoids on this continent in the early Eocene.

A new xinjiangchelyid turtle, Kalasinemys prasarttongosothi n. gen. n. sp., is described on the basis of skull and shell material from the Upper Jurassic Phu Kradung Formation at Phu Noi locality, Kalasin Province, in NE Thailand. This second xinjiangchelyid turtle from Phu Noi is distinct from Phunoichelys thirakhupti by the smooth shell surface, the presence of a cervical notch, and vertebral 1 narrower than nuchal. The skull presents an arterial system characteristic of the Xinjiangchelyidae (basal Eucryptodira), and its outline is similar to that of Annemys spp. known from the Middle–Late Jurassic of China and Mongolia, but distinct from the latter mainly by the wider triturating surface, smaller foramen palatinum posterius and the shape of the prefrontal and frontal, as well as that of the basisphenoid and basioccipital. Based on the turtle assemblages, the correlation with mainland Asia further supports a Late Jurassic age for the lower part of the Phu Kradung Formation where Phu Noi site is located stratigraphically. Our study provides new insight on the evolution of the basal eucryptodiran turtles in Asia.

Background: A need exists to characterise the long-term cognitive outcomes in patients who recovered from autoimmune encephalitis and to identify the modifiable factors associated with improved outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively analysed data from patients diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis in our outpatient autoimmune encephalitis clinic over a 5-year period, where the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is routinely administered. Results: In total, 21 patients met the inclusion criteria, of whom 52% had persistent cognitive impairment at their latest follow-up (median delay to testing=20 months, range 13-182). Visuospatial and executive abilities, language, attention, and delayed recall were predominantly affected. Patients with status epilepticus at presentation had lower total MoCA scores at their last follow-up (median total score 21, range 15-29) compared with patients without status epilepticus at presentation (median total score 27.5, range 21-30; r2=0.366, p=0.004). Patients who experienced delays of more than 60 days from symptom onset to initiation of treatment (either immunosuppression or tumour removal) were more likely to have a MoCA score compatible with cognitive impairment at their last follow-up (r2=0.253, p=0.0239; z-score=−2.01, p=0.044). Conclusions: Our study suggests that the MoCA may be used to evaluate cognition in recovering patients with autoimmune encephalitis. Delays to treatment shorter than 60 days and absence of status epilepticus at onset were associated with better performance on the MoCA obtained more than 1 year after symptom onset, and may predict better long-term cognitive outcomes.

We describe here a new turtle from the early Eocene of Wutu, Shandong Province, China. This turtle with a full row of well-developed inframarginal scutes is assigned to the basalmost testudinoids while stem testudinoids were believed to disappear by the Palaeocene–Eocene boundary. This account shows that stem testudinoids crossed this boundary in their original range. The first comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of stem and modern testudinoids performed here demonstrates that the stem testudinoids, previously placed in the family ‘Lindholmemydidae’, do not form a monophyletic group, and the two major clades of testudinoids (Emydidae and Geoemydidae+Testudinidae) split one from another well before the Palaeocene/Eocene boundary, prior to the Late Cretaceous.

A new genus and new species of primitive eucryptodiran turtle, Phunoichelys thirakhupti gen. et sp. nov., is described on the basis of shell remains from the lower part of the Phu Kradung Formation, at Phu Noi locality, Kalasin Province, NE Thailand. It is assigned to Xinjiangchelyidae on the basis of the marginals covering the lateral end of the costals and the anal scutes invading the hypoplastra. The new taxon is further characterized by a low and rounded carapace without a cervical notch; the whole carapace and plastron covered with a clear ornamentation consisting of tiny irregular vermiculated furrows; a complete neural series that reaches the suprapygal; a very wide and short cervical scute; relatively wide vertebral scutes; and a long first thoracic rib that extends along the full width of the first costal. The sutured plastron/carapace connection and the marginals covering the lateral end of the second to seventh costals suggest that the turtles from Phu Noi may be related to some primitive xinjiangchelyids from the Sichuan Basin. The discovery of a xinjiangchelyid turtle in the lower part of the Phu Kradung Formation supports a Late Jurassic age for that part of the formation.

A new species of Cuora, Cuora chiangmuanensis sp. nov., is described on the basis of a nearly complete shell with limb bones from the late Middle – early Late Miocene Chiang Muan Mine, Phayao Province (Northern Thailand). C. chiangmuanensis is distinguished from other fossil and living Cuora species mainly on the basis of its plastral morphology. Among fossil and extant Cuora taxa, the new species appears to be a missing link between the taxa from Southeast Asia and those from East Asia. It represents the earliest record of the genus and demonstrates that by 11–12 Ma, Asian box turtles were already present in Southeast Asia.

Parasite diversity is hypothesized to act on host life-history traits through investment in immunity. In order to incorporate the diversity of the parasite community that an individual host or a host species may face, two indices can be used: Taxonomic Species Richness and Taxonomic Entropy, where the taxonomic information is incorporated with the taxonomic weight. We tested whether these indices correlate with several morphological traits potentially implicated in immune defence and in reproduction, using data on gastrointestinal helminths and their rodent hosts sampled in Southeast Asia. We found no relationship between parasite diversity indices and either spleen mass or testes size at the intraspecific level, i.e. at the level of individuals. At the interspecific level, we found no relationship between the parasite diversity indices and testes size. However, we found that female spleen mass is significantly influenced by the specific species richness of parasites, whereas male spleen mass is influenced by individual mean parasite diversity indices. We concluded that female spleen mass may have evolved in response to gastrointestinal helminth pressure acting at species levels, while in males, the individual spleen mass could be constrained by other factors, such as the blood storage function of the spleen.

The Amalaoulaou Neoproterozoic island-arc massif belongs to the Gourma belt in Mali. The metagabbros and pyroxenites forming the main body of this arc root show the pervasive development of garnet. In the pyroxenites, the latter has grown by reaction between pyroxene and spinel during isobaric cooling. By contrast, in the metagabbros, garnet textures and relations to felsic veins exclude an origin through solid-state reactions only. It is proposed that garnet has grown following dehydration and localized melting of amphibole-bearing gabbros at the base of the arc. The plagioclase-saturated melts represented by anorthositic veins in the metagabbros and by trondhjemites in the upper part of the massif provide evidence for melting in the deep arc crust, which locally generated high-density garnet–clinopyroxene–rutile residues. Garnet growth and melting began around 850 °C at 10 kbar and the tonalitic melts were most probably generated around 1050 °C at P ≥ 10 kbar. This HT granulitic imprint can be related to arc maturation, leading to a P–T increase in the deep arc root and dehydration and/or dehydration-melting of amphibole-bearing gabbros. Observation of such features in the root of this Neoproterozoic island arc has important consequences, as it provides a link to models concerning the early generation of continental crust.

La démarche de cette étude s'inscrit dans le cadre de la volonté politique d'Eurocopter France d'améliorer le confort acoustique des cabines d'hélicoptère, le but étant d'identifier les contributions des différentes sources de bruit sur le niveau de bruit interne et d'analyser les chemins de propagation (solidiens et aériens) de l'énergie depuis son origine jusqu'à la cabine. La gamme de fréquence analysée est celle du dB SIL4 (353–5650 Hz), qui permet de caractériser les perturbations engendrées sur l'intelligibilité d'une conversation. Ce travail a pour but de conduire à préconiser des solutions techniques pour améliorer le confort acoustique des matériels et notamment des panneaux d'habillage. La modélisation de la réponse acoustique de la cabine est réalisée à partir de mesures expérimentales réalisées en vol afin de prendre en compte tous les phénomènes associés au déplacement et à la déformation de la structure. Dans un premier temps, les différentes méthodes de diagnostic de bruit interne et de localisation de sources acoustiques sont recensées dans l'optique de statuer sur le système le mieux adapté au milieu hélicoptère. Les outils de simulation utilisés pour exploiter les résultats obtenus et répondre aux objectifs visés sont ensuite présentés.

This review presents environmental and biological indicators of the impact of three major categories of inputs in coral reef lagoons i.e. particles, nutrients and metals. Information was synthesized to extract well established indicators together with some interesting new concepts currently under development, and to provide the reader with an assessment of their respective advantages and drawbacks. The paper has been organized according to the capacity of three categories of indicators to respond either in a specific or a non specific way to a given source of input. The first section focuses on abiotic indicators which main interest is to respond instantaneously and in a truly specific way to a given source of input. The second and third sections present informations on bioindicators either at the sub-individual level or at the individual to community level, indicator specificity generally decreasing as a direct function of biological or ecological complexity. This review showed that even though significant work has already been done on coral reef ecosystems, much more scientific studies are still needed to answer the growing local demands for simple and truly validated tools to be used in environmental surveys. It is further stressed that, due to the biological and environmental diversity of coral reef lagoons, a preliminary step of on-site validation must be considered as an absolute prerequisite when indicators are planned to be used in the frame of a local environmental monitoring programme.