Christian Education: Yesterday\u27s Dream, Today\u27s Experience, Tomorrow\u27s Vision

This article was prepared in conjunction with the eleventh annual B. J. Haan Lecture Series held Spring 1994 at Dordt College

A comparison of some Dutch spelling reform proposals affecting verb inflection

Wetensch. publicati

Environmental changes during the onset of the Late Pliensbachian Event (Early Jurassic) in the Cardigan Bay Basin, Wales

The Late Pliensbachian Event (LPE), in the Early Jurassic, is associated with a perturbation in the global carbon cycle (positive carbon isotope excursion (CIE) of ∼2 ‰), cooling of ∼5 ∘C, and the deposition of widespread regressive facies. Cooling during the late Pliensbachian has been linked to enhanced organic matter burial and/or disruption of thermohaline ocean circulation due to a sea level lowstand of at least regional extent. Orbital forcing had a strong influence on the Pliensbachian environments and recent studies show that the terrestrial realm and the marine realm in and around the Cardigan Bay Basin, UK, were strongly influenced by orbital climate forcing. In the present study we build on the previously published data for long eccentricity cycle E459 ± 1 and extend the palaeoenvironmental record to include E458 ± 1. We explore the environmental and depositional changes on orbital timescales for the Llanbedr (Mochras Farm) core during the onset of the LPE. Clay mineralogy, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) elemental analysis, isotope ratio mass spectrometry, and palynology are combined to resolve systematic changes in erosion, weathering, fire, grain size, and riverine influx. Our results indicate distinctively different environments before and after the onset of the LPE positive CIE and show increased physical erosion relative to chemical weathering. We also identify five swings in the climate, in tandem with the 405 kyr eccentricity minima and maxima. Eccentricity maxima are linked to precessionally repeated occurrences of a semi-arid monsoonal climate with high fire activity and relatively coarser sediment from terrestrial runoff. In contrast, 405 kyr minima in the Mochras core are linked to a more persistent, annually wet climate, low fire activity, and relatively finer-grained deposits across multiple precession cycles. The onset of the LPE positive CIE did not impact the expression of the 405 kyr cycle in the proxy records; however, during the second pulse of heavier carbon (13C) enrichment, the clay minerals record a change from dominant chemical weathering to dominant physical erosion

Wildfire activity enhanced during phases of maximum orbital eccentricity and precessional forcing in the Early Jurassic

Fire regimes are changing due to both anthropogenic climatic drivers and vegetation management challenges, making it difficult to determine how climate alone might influence wildfire activity. Earth has been subject to natural-background climate variability throughout its past due to variations in Earth’s orbital parameters (Milkankovitch cycles), which provides an opportunity to assess climate-only driven variations in wildfire. Here we present a 350,000 yr long record of fossil charcoal from mid-latitude (~35°N) Jurassic sedimentary rocks. These results are coupled to estimates of variations in the hydrological cycle using clay mineral, palynofacies and elemental analyses, and lithological and biogeochemical signatures. We show that fire activity strongly increased during extreme seasonal contrast (monsoonal climate), which has been linked to maximal precessional forcing (boreal summer in perihelion) (21,000 yr cycles), and we hypothesize that long eccentricity modulation further enhances precession-forced fire activity

Triassic-Jurassic vegetation response to carbon cycle perturbations and climate change

Disturbances in terrestrial vegetation across the end-Triassic mass-extinction (ETME) and earliest Jurassic (∼201.5–201.3 Ma) have previously been linked to carbon cycle perturbations induced by the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province. Large-scale volcanic degassing has been proposed to have affected the terrestrial realm through various mechanisms. However, the effects of long-term “super greenhouse” climate variability on vegetation dynamics following the mass-extinction remain poorly understood. Based on a 10-million-year long multi-proxy record of northern Germany (Schandelah-1, Germany, paleolatitude of ∼41°N) spanning the late Rhaetian to the Sinemurian (∼201.5–190.8 Ma), we aim to assess mechanistic links between carbon cycle perturbations, climate change, and vegetation dynamics. Based on a high-resolution palynofloral record a two-phased extinction emerges, confirming extinction patterns seen in other studies. The first phase is associated with a decline in arborescent conifers, coinciding with a negative carbon isotope excursion and an influx of aquatic palynomorphs. Following this decline, we find a stepwise rise of ferns at the cost of trees during the latest Rhaetian, culminating with the extinction of tree taxa at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary. The rise in ferns is accompanied by an increase in reworked organic matter and charcoal, suggestive of erosion and wildfires. Furthermore, the Hettangian (201.3–199.3 Ma) vegetation in NW Europe shows evidence of long-term disturbance reflected by the periodic resurgence of fern taxa, similarly accompanied by increases in reworking and charcoal. This periodicity is linked to the 405-kyr eccentricity cycle indicating a biome that responded to astronomically induced variability in hydrology. A transition into an apparently more stable biome starts during the early Sinemurian, where palynofloral assemblages become dominated by bisaccate pollen taxa, mainly derived from conifers. The ETME was clearly forced by the effects of volcanogenic emissions, such as SO2, CO2 and other pollutants, acting on both short (0.1–10 kyrs) and long timescales (10–100 kyrs). In contrast, charcoal and detrital input indicators show that the disturbances during the Hettangian were driven by periodic shifts in the regional hydrological regime. This was forced by the effects of orbital insolation variation and potentially exacerbated by increased atmospheric pCO2. The cyclic progression of ecosystem disturbance was similar to that of the ETME and only recovered during the early Sinemurian. Atmospheric pCO2 remained elevated after CAMP-activity had subsided due to a collapse of terrestrial biomass and carbonate producers. This inability to store carbon on long timescales could therefore have impeded global recovery

Infectious Diseases in Older Adults of Long‐Term Care Facilities: Update on Approach to Diagnosis and Management

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143696/1/jgs15248_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143696/2/jgs15248.pd

Parallel computing in information retrieval - An updated review

The progress of parallel computing in Information Retrieval (IR) is reviewed. In particular we stress the importance of the motivation in using parallel computing for Text Retrieval. We analyse parallel IR systems using a classification due to Rasmussen [1] and describe some parallel IR systems. We give a description of the retrieval models used in parallel Information Processing.. We describe areas of research which we believe are needed

Interventions for improving oral health in people after stroke

BACKGROUND: For people with physical, sensory and cognitive limitations due to stroke, the routine practice of oral health care (OHC) may become a challenge. Evidence‐based supported oral care intervention is essential for this patient group. OBJECTIVES: To compare the effectiveness of OHC interventions with usual care or other treatment options for ensuring oral health in people after a stroke. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Stroke Group and Cochrane Oral Health Group trials registers, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and six other databases in February 2019. We scanned reference lists from relevant papers and contacted authors and researchers in the field. We handsearched the reference lists of relevant articles and contacted other researchers. There were no language restrictions. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated one or more interventions designed to improve the cleanliness and health of the mouth, tongue and teeth in people with a stroke who received assisted OHC led by healthcare staff. We included trials with a mixed population provided we could extract the stroke‐specific data. The primary outcomes were dental plaque or denture plaque. Secondary outcomes included presence of oral disease, presence of related infection and oral opportunistic pathogens related to OHC and pneumonia, stroke survivor and providers' knowledge and attitudes to OHC, and patient satisfaction and quality of life. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently screened abstracts and full‐text articles according to prespecified selection criteria, extracted data and assessed the methodological quality using the Cochrane 'Risk of bias' tool. We sought clarification from investigators when required. Where suitable statistical data were available, we combined the selected outcome data in pooled meta‐analyses. We used GRADE to assess the quality of evidence for each outcome. MAIN RESULTS: Fifteen RCTs (22 randomised comparisons) involving 3631 participants with data for 1546 people with stroke met the selection criteria. OHC interventions compared with usual care Seven trials (2865 participants, with data for 903 participants with stroke, 1028 healthcare providers, 94 informal carers) investigated OHC interventions compared with usual care. Multi‐component OHC interventions showed no evidence of a difference in the mean score (DMS) of dental plaque one month after the intervention was delivered (DMS –0.66, 95% CI –1.40 to 0.09; 2 trials, 83 participants; I(2) = 83%; P = 0.08; very low‐quality evidence). Stroke survivors had less plaque on their dentures when staff had access to the multi‐component OHC intervention (DMS –1.31, 95% CI –1.96 to –0.66; 1 trial, 38 participants; P < 0.0001; low‐quality evidence). There was no evidence of a difference in gingivitis (DMS –0.60, 95% CI –1.66 to 0.45; 2 trials, 83 participants; I(2) = 93%; P = 0.26: very low‐quality evidence) or denture‐induced stomatitis (DMS –0.33, 95% CI –0.92 to 0.26; 1 trial, 38 participants; P = 0.69; low‐quality evidence) among participants receiving the multi‐component OHC protocol compared with usual care one month after the intervention. There was no difference in the incidence of pneumonia in participants receiving a multi‐component OHC intervention (99 participants; 5 incidents of pneumonia) compared with those receiving usual care (105 participants; 1 incident of pneumonia) (OR 4.17, CI 95% 0.82 to 21.11; 1 trial, 204 participants; P = 0.08; low‐quality evidence). OHC training for stroke survivors and healthcare providers significantly improved their OHC knowledge at one month after training (SMD 0.70, 95% CI 0.06 to 1.35; 3 trials, 728 participants; I(2) = 94%; P = 0.03; very low‐quality evidence). Pooled data one month after training also showed evidence of a difference between stroke survivor and providers' oral health attitudes (SMD 0.28, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.54; 3 trials, 728 participants; I(2) = 65%; P = 0.06; very low‐quality evidence). OHC interventions compared with placebo Three trials (394 participants, with data for 271 participants with stroke) compared an OHC intervention with placebo. There were no data for primary outcomes. There was no evidence of a difference in the incidence of pneumonia in participants receiving an OHC intervention compared with placebo (OR 0.39, CI 95% 0.14 to 1.09; 2 trials, 242 participants; I(2) = 42%; P = 0.07; low‐quality evidence). However, decontamination gel reduced the incidence of pneumonia among the intervention group compared with placebo gel group (OR 0.20, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.84; 1 trial, 203 participants; P = 0.028). There was no difference in the incidence of pneumonia in participants treated with povidone‐iodine compared with a placebo (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.18 to 3.51; 1 trial, 39 participants; P = 0.77). One OHC intervention compared with another OHC intervention Twelve trials (372 participants with stroke) compared one OHC intervention with another OHC intervention. There was no difference in dental plaque scores between those participants that received an enhanced multi‐component OHC intervention compared with conventional OHC interventions at three months (MD –0.04, 95% CI –0.33 to 0.25; 1 trial, 61 participants; P = 0.78; low‐quality evidence). There were no data for denture plaque. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We found low‐ to very low‐quality evidence suggesting that OHC interventions can improve the cleanliness of patient's dentures and stroke survivor and providers' knowledge and attitudes. There is limited low‐quality evidence that selective decontamination gel may be more beneficial than placebo at reducing the incidence of pneumonia. Improvements in the cleanliness of a patient's own teeth was limited. We judged the quality of the evidence included within meta‐analyses to be low or very low quality, and this limits our confidence in the results. We still lack high‐quality evidence of the optimal approach to providing OHC to people after stroke

Initial results of coring at Prees, Cheshire Basin, UK (ICDP JET project): towards an integrated stratigraphy, timescale, and Earth system understanding for the Early Jurassic

This is the final version. Available on open access from Copernicus Publications via the DOI in this recordData availability: Full core scan data (https://doi.org/10.5285/91392f09-25d4-454c-aece-56bde0dbf3ba, BGS Core Scanning Facility, 2022) will be available after 1 November 2024 via the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) National Geoscience Data Centre (https://webapps.bgs.ac.uk/services/ngdc/accessions/index.html#, last access: 12 October 2023). Downhole logging data (https://doi.org/10.5880/ICDP.5065.001​​​​​​​, Wonik, 2023) will be made available via the ICDP (https://www.icdp-online.org/projects/by-continent/europe/jet-uk/, last access: 12 October 2023). The JET Operational Report is published as Hesselbo et al. (2023); full information about the operational dataset, the logging dataset, data availability and the explanatory remarks is available on the ICPD-JET project website: https://www.icdp-online.org/projects/by-continent/europe/jet-uk/ (last access: 12 October 2023). A subset of data, additional biostratigraphic tables, and vector graphics files for Figs. 3–5 are included as the Supplement. Supplementary Data File 1 tabulates the corrected depth scale for Prees 2C. Supplementary Data File 2 summarizes the ammonite-based chronostratigraphy of the Prees 2 cores (ammonite identifications by Kevin N. Page). Supplementary Data File 3 summarizes the ammonite-based chronostratigraphy for the Hettangian to Early Pliensbachian of the Llanbedr (Mochras Farm) borehole (updated by Kevin N. Page). Supplementary Data File 4 tabulates the organic carbon-isotope ratios, TOC, and carbonate content of low-resolution samples taken at the Prees drill site; TOC and carbonate data are calculated using calibration based on portable XRF (Supplementary Data File 5) and a gas source isotope ratio mass spectrometer (Supplementary Data File 6). Supplementary Data File 5 tabulates portable XRF results for bulk rock powders of low-resolution samples taken at the Prees drill site; uncertainties stated in the table are given for the fit to the raw data and do not reflect the true reproducibility of the data. Empty fields indicate values under the detection limit. Sample SSK116001 acted as a repeat sample which was measured 70 times over the course of the data acquisition to determine the repeatability and drift of the instrument. LE stands for “light elements”. Supplementary Data File 6 tabulates gas source isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GS-IRMS) data (oxygen- and carbon-isotope ratios of carbonate as well as carbonate content calculated as calcite) for a set of 24 samples covering the entire core length and reflecting a representative spread of carbonate content. Comparison of GS-IRMS data with p-XRF data was used to create a calibration curve to calculate the carbonate (and TOC) content of all low-resolution samples. Supplementary Data File 7 tabulates pyrolysis data (Rock-Eval 6) for Prees 1 well cuttings and Wilkesley borehole samples. Supplementary Data File 8 contains vector graphics files (.svg) for Figs. 3–5.Drilling for the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) Early Jurassic Earth System and Timescale project (JET) was undertaken between October 2020 and January 2021. The drill site is situated in a small-scale synformal basin of the latest Triassic to Early Jurassic age that formed above the major Permian–Triassic half-graben system of the Cheshire Basin. The borehole is located to recover an expanded and complete succession to complement the legacy core from the Llanbedr (Mochras Farm) borehole drilled through 1967–1969 on the edge of the Cardigan Bay Basin, North Wales. The overall aim of the project is to construct an astronomically calibrated integrated timescale for the Early Jurassic and to provide insights into the operation of the Early Jurassic Earth system. Core of Quaternary age cover and Early Jurassic mudstone was obtained from two shallow partially cored geotechnical holes (Prees 2A to 32.2 m below surface (m b.s.) and Prees 2B to 37.0 m b.s.) together with Early Jurassic and Late Triassic mudstone from the principal hole, Prees 2C, which was cored from 32.92 to 651.32 m (corrected core depth scale). Core recovery was 99.7 % for Prees 2C. The ages of the recovered stratigraphy range from the Late Triassic (probably Rhaetian) to the Early Jurassic, Early Pliensbachian (Ibex Ammonoid Chronozone). All ammonoid chronozones have been identified for the drilled Early Jurassic strata. The full lithological succession comprises the Branscombe Mudstone and Blue Anchor formations of the Mercia Mudstone Group, the Westbury and Lilstock formations of the Penarth Group, and the Redcar Mudstone Formation of the Lias Group. A distinct interval of siltstone is recognized within the Late Sinemurian of the Redcar Mudstone Formation, and the name “Prees Siltstone Member” is proposed. Depositional environments range from playa lake in the Late Triassic to distal offshore marine in the Early Jurassic. Initial datasets compiled from the core include radiography, natural gamma ray, density, magnetic susceptibility, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). A full suite of downhole logs was also run. Intervals of organic carbon enrichment occur in the Rhaetian (Late Triassic) Westbury Formation and in the earliest Hettangian and earliest Pliensbachian strata of the Redcar Mudstone Formation, where up to 4 % total organic carbon (TOC) is recorded. Other parts of the succession are generally organic-lean, containing less than 1 % TOC. Carbon-isotope values from bulk organic matter have also been determined, initially at a resolution of ∼ 1 m, and these provide the basis for detailed correlation between the Prees 2 succession and adjacent boreholes and Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) outcrops. Multiple complementary studies are currently underway and preliminary results promise an astronomically calibrated biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and chemostratigraphy for the combined Prees and Mochras successions as well as insights into the dynamics of background processes and major palaeo-environmental changes.ICDPNatural Environment Research Council (NERC)German Research FoundationHungarian Scientific Research FundNational Science Centre, PolandPolish Geological Institut