Lansoprazole-Induced Improvement of Esophageal Submucosal Injury

The proton pumpvinhibitor, lansoprazole, is reported to have acid secretion inhibiting effect as well as anti-inflammatory effects such as inhibition of cytokine secretion from inflammatory cells. Clinically, excellent efficacy of lansoprazole is reported for not only gastric ulcer but also gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Since GERD is categorized endoscopically into erosive esophagitis and non-erosive reflux disease, it is important to make accurate assessment of any improvement in the inflammatory process when using endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) capable of visualizing the submucosal structure. We report here our experience in assessing the effect of treatment with lansoprazole on esophageal wall structure using EUS in patients with GERD. At baseline (before treatment), EUS showed abnormalities in the mucosa, submucosa and muscularis propria caused by inflammation, thickening of the entire esophageal wall and changes in the contractile properties of esophageal smooth muscles reflecting the effects of inflammation on the entire wall of the lower esophagus in reflux esophagitis regardless of whether it is erosive or endoscopically-negative. Treatment with lansoprazole resulted in normalization of esophageal wall structure and improvement of motility, suggesting that lansoprazole improves not only mucosal inflammation but also submucosal inflammation in GERD

Equitable Effect of SBM Policy Implementation Support in Nepal by International Cooperation Project: Focus on the “left-behind” schools with double vulnerabilities

This study discusses equitable effectiveness of international education cooperation project taking SBM (School Based Management) policy implementation support in Nepal by JICA as a case, focusing on perception of head teachers toward SIP (School Improvement Plan) effectiveness. The study finds out SBM policy implementation is not equitable if it is only by legislation, however head teachers of vulnerable schools rates SIP effectiveness higher than the less vulnerable schools if the intervention (training program for SMC (School Management Committee) is provided. The study further discovered that the intervention is not effective to reduce the number of “left-behind” school (head teachers in vulnerable area rating effectiveness of SIP low) that consists of 33.9% of the entire target, while it is just equivalent to that of control group (32.8%).. Yet the intervention positively affects “left-behind” schools in promoting students’ and teachers’ participation in SIP planning and more focused SIP activities to the school challenges, meanwhile they face harder managerial challenges than “benefited” schools (in vulnerable area with higher rating for SIP effectiveness) in facilitating wider participation by SMC and guardian in SIP implementation. This indicates “left-behind” schools are characterized by its double vulnerability - areal and managerial vulnerability. Meanwhile, the intervention has in-equitable effect too. the intervention widens the gap between “left-behind” and “benefited” schools, in the areas of “support provided by local education offices”, “textbooks”, “student absenteeism”, and “problem analysis in SIP preparation.” In this case, in-equitable nature of “by-legislation only” policy implementation is redressed by providing training for SMC of all target school, Single intervention for all school, however, may not sufficient to salvage the potential “left-behind” schools with double vulnerability, Additional supports are needed, probably in the areas of widened gap above, for such schools and this necessitates early detection. International cooperation projects can mitigate and minimize its in-equitable effect and shall further accelerate its contribution for SDGs achievement, provided that such arrangements for schools with left-behind potentials are done in project design.本稿は、東京大学教育学研究科（博士課程）での研究成果の一部で、国際開発学会第26回全国大会（新潟大学）での発表を加筆・修正したものであ

Wrap, tilt and stretch of vorticity lines around a strong thin straight vortex tube in a simple shear flow

the mechanism of wrap, tilt and stretch of vorticity lines around a strong thin straight vortex tube of circulation &#915; starting with a vortex filament in a simple shear flow (U=SX2x^1, S being a shear rate) is investigated analytically. an asymptotic expression for the vorticity field is obtained at a large reynolds number &#915;/&#957; » 1, &#957; being the kinematic viscosity of fluid, and during the initial time St « 1 of evolution as well as St « (&#915;/&#957;)1/2. the vortex tube, which is inclined from the streamwise (X1) direction both in the vertical (X2) and spanwise (X3) directions, is tilted, stretched and diffused under the action of the uniform shear and viscosity. the simple shear vorticity is on the other hand, wrapped and stretched around the vortex tube by a swirling motion, induced by it to form double spiral vortex layers of high azimuthal vorticity of alternating sign. the magnitude of the azimuthal vorticity increases up to O((&#915;/&#957;)1/3S) at distance r=O((&#915;/&#957;)1/3 (&#957;t)1/2) from the vortex tube. the spirals induce axial flows of the same spiral shape with alternate sign in adjacent spirals which in turn tilt the simple shear vorticity toward the axial direction. as a result, the vorticity lines wind helically around the vortex tube accompanied by conversion of vorticity of the simple shear to the axial direction. the axial vorticity increases in time as s2t, the direction of which is opposite to that of the vortex tube at r=O((&#915;/&#957;)1/2 (&#957;t)1/2) where the vorticity magnitude is strongest. in the near region r « (&#915;/&#957;)1/3 (&#957;t)1/2, on the other hand, a viscous cancellation takes place in tightly wrapped vorticity of alternate sign, which leads to the disappearance of the vorticity normal to the vortex tube. only the axial component of the simple shear vorticity is left there, which is stretched by the simple shear flow itself. as a consequence, the vortex tube inclined toward the direction of the simple shear vorticity (a cyclonic vortex) is intensified, while the one oriented in the opposite direction (an anticyclonic vortex) is weakened. the growth rate of vorticity due to this effect attains a maximum (or minimum) value of ±S2/33/2 when the vortex tube is oriented in the direction of X^1+X^2[minus-or-plus sign] X^3. the present asymptotic solutions are expected to be closely related to the flow structures around intense vortex tubes observed in various kinds of turbulence such as helical winding of vorticity lines around a vortex tube, the dominance of cyclonic vortex tubes, the appearance of opposite-signed vorticity around streamwise vortices and a zig-zag arrangement of streamwise vortices in homogeneous isotropic turbulence, homogeneous shear turbulence and near-wall turbulence.</p

High Contrast Imaging and Wavefront Control with a PIAA Coronagraph: Laboratory System Validation

The Phase-Induced Amplitude Apodization (PIAA) coronagraph is a high performance coronagraph concept able to work at small angular separation with little loss in throughput. We present results obtained with a laboratory PIAA system including active wavefront control. The system has a 94.3% throughput (excluding coating losses) and operates in air with monochromatic light. Our testbed achieved a 2.27e-7 raw contrast between 1.65 lambda/D (inner working angle of the coronagraph configuration tested) and 4.4 lambda/D (outer working angle). Through careful calibration, we were able to separate this residual light into a dynamic coherent component (turbulence, vibrations) at 4.5e-8 contrast and a static incoherent component (ghosts and/or polarization missmatch) at 1.6e-7 contrast. Pointing errors are controlled at the 1e-3 lambda/D level using a dedicated low order wavefront sensor. While not sufficient for direct imaging of Earth-like planets from space, the 2.27e-7 raw contrast achieved already exceeds requirements for a ground-based Extreme Adaptive Optics system aimed at direct detection of more massive exoplanets. We show that over a 4hr long period, averaged wavefront errors have been controlled to the 3.5e-9 contrast level. This result is particularly encouraging for ground based Extreme-AO systems relying on long term stability and absence of static wavefront errors to recover planets much fainter than the fast boiling speckle halo.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in PASP. The pointing control scheme for this system is described in a separate paper (Coronagraphic Low-Order Wave-Front Sensor: Principle and Application to a Phase-Induced Amplitude Coronagraph, The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 693, Issue 1, pp. 75-84 (2009)

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy studies in children

Psychosomatic and developmental behavioral medicine in pediatrics has been the subject of significant recent attention, with infants, school-age children, and adolescents frequently presenting with psychosomatic, behavioral, and psychiatric symptoms. These may be a consequence of insecurity of attachment, reduced self-confidence, and peer -relationship conflicts during their developmental stages. Developmental cognitive neuroscience has revealed significant associations between specific brain lesions and particular cognitive dysfunctions. Thus, identifying the biological deficits underlying such cognitive dysfunction may provide new insights into therapeutic prospects for the management of those symptoms in children. Recent advances in noninvasive neuroimaging techniques, and especially functional near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), have contributed significant findings to the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience in pediatrics. We present here a comprehensive review of functional NIRS studies of children who have developed normally and of children with psychosomatic and behavioral disorders