Although there is increasing evidence for wet, monsoonal conditions in Southeast Asia during the late Eocene, it has not been clear when this environment became established. Cenozoic sedimentary sequences constrained by radiometrically dated igneous rocks from the Jianchuan Basin in the southeast flank of Tibetan Plateau now provide a section whose facies and climatic proxies determine this evolution. Semi-arid conditions had dominated the region since Paleocene controlled by the northern sub-tropical high pressure system, culminating in mid Eocene when desert dunes developed. From 36 Ma, the basin began to accumulate swamp sediments with coals, together with synchronous braided river deposits and diversified pollen assemblages, indicating significant increase in precipitation. This remarkable transition from dry to wet conditions precedes the Eocene/Oligocene boundary at 34 Ma, thus excluding general global cooling as the prime driver. We propose that uplift of Tibetan Plateau might have reached a threshold elevation by that time, operating through thermal and dynamic forcing, causing the inception or significant intensification of monsoonal rains to penetrate into this downwind locality.

Case report: an 80-year-old woman presented with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis and was admitted to our hospital. Myeloperoxidase-specific antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA) was positive. We diagnosed ANCA-associated renal vasculitis (ANCA-RV). Treatment was initiated with intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy, followed by prednisolone (PSL) at 30 mg/day. We gradually reduced the PSL dose to 7.5 mg/day over 6 months. At that time, the patient developed disturbances of consciousness which progressed subacutely. MRI revealed regions of patchy white matter with an increased signal on T2-weighted, fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences and diffusion-weighted sequences. JC virus DNA was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), leading to a diagnosis of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). PML is a rare infectious demyelinating disease of the central nervous system caused by JC virus infection, occurring in highly immunosuppressed individuals such as HIV-infected patients and patients using some biological agents, and having a very poor prognosis. In the present case, PML may have been associated with steroid use, although there are very few case reports of PML in patients taking only steroids. We report progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy during steroid treatment of ANCA-RV. When patients show progressive disturbance of consciousness during treatment for ANCA-RV, we need to take PML into consideration for differential diagnosis.

Abstract:How was the concept of «teaching as a profession» 1 advocated in the 19 th century? In this study, this question is analysed by focusing on how the Japanese version of the concept was imported from the West and subsequently transformed in this non-Christian setting. It was formulated not only by a national action to create a strong centralized nation-state in Asia, but also through the transnational interaction of European, American, and Japanese educational leaders. First, the author argues that, the early Japanese concept of «teaching as a profession» is explored by examining the ideas of Mori Arinori, the first Minister of Education. Mori claimed that, in order to safeguard children's morality, teaching should be a holy-calling profession in Japan. For him, this meant educating the subsequent generations to be obedient to their holy nation. Second, Mori's images of education are shown to be consistent with those in the United States, where he had studied as a diplomat. These images were shared not only by US leaders such as Horace Mann, but also with Prussian and French leaders of the era. In both countries, both the holy-calling theory and the profession theory included nationalism, whose ultimate aim was education for the nation. However, while the sacredness of the republican polity was based on the ideals of individualism and liberty in the United States, the sacredness of the imperial polity in Japan was promoted by the Emperor the apotheosis of the imperial line, unbroken for ages eternal. These historical origins of the concept of teaching suggest why the professionalisation of teaching in Japan has been advanced by forces that hoist the flag of national particularism, and by a government that supports this view. This implies that teaching professionalism does not always connote democracy or the human rights of children/teachers.

The modern-day Tarim Basin is covered almost entirely by the Taklimakan sand desert and is one of the most arid regions in the world. Unraveling the aridification history of the desert is important for understanding global climate changes during the Cenozoic, yet the timing and mechanisms driving its formation remain controversial. One of the leading hypotheses is that the uplift of the Pamir, located to the west of the Tarim Basin, blocked the intrusion of moist air and induced the aridification in the Tarim Basin. In this study, we explore the linkage between the uplift of the Pamir and the desertification in the Tarim Basin from the late Eocene to the middle Miocene in the Aertashi section, which is located at the southwestern edge of the Tarim Basin and offers the longest sedimentary record with a reliable age model. Provenance changes in fluvial deposits along the Aertashi section were examined using electron spin resonance (ESR) signal intensity and crystallinity index (CI) of quartz in the sand fraction of fluvial sandstones and clast counting based on the identification of clast types by thin section observation to identify timings of tectonic events in the Pamir, from which clastic materials were supplied to the Aertashi section by rivers. Our results suggest that major provenance changes in the drainage of the paleo-Yarkand river delivering clasts to the Aertashi section occurred at ca. 27, 20, and 15 Ma. These timings are mostly consistent with those observed in previous provenance studies in the Aertashi section and probably reflect tectonic events in the Pamir. On the other hand, according to the previous studies, the first occurrence of sand dune deposits indicates that the Tarim Basin was relatively arid after ca. 34 Ma. Hence, our result does not support the hypothesis that the initial aridification in the Tarim Basin was triggered by the uplift of the Pamir and the resultant blocking of moisture supply from the Paratethys Sea, although the subsequent intensification of tectonic events at ca. 27 Ma in the Pamir might have caused aridification indicated by the initiation of loess deposition.

The Tarim basin is one of the most arid areas in the world and its major part is occupied by the Taklimakan desert. Although unraveling the history of aridification of Taklimakan desert is important to understand the global climate change during the Cenozoic, the timing and the mechanism of its formation are still controversial. One of the hypotheses is that the uplift of the Pamir locating to the west of the Tarim basin blocked the intrusion of the moist air and induced the aridification in the Tarim basin. In this study, we explored the linkage between the uplift of the Pamir and the desertification in the Tarim basin during the period from the late Eocene to the middle Miocene. Provenance changes of the fluvial deposits along the Aertashi section, which is located in the southwestern edge of the Tarim basin and offers the longest record with the reliable age model, was examined using Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) signal intensity and crystallinity index (CI) of quartz in the sand fraction of fluvial sandstone and the thin section observation to identify the timings of tectonic events in the Pamir from which clastic materials were supplied by rivers. Our results suggest that major provenance changes in the drainage of the river delivering the clasts to the Aertashi section occurred at ca. 26 Ma, 20 Ma, and 15 Ma. These timings are mostly consistent with the timings observed in the previous provenance studies in the Aertashi section and probably reflect tectonic events in the Pamir. On the other hand, the Tarim basin was under the relatively arid condition after ca. 34 Ma based on the first occurrence of sand dune deposit. Hence, our result does not support the hypothesis that the onset of the aridification in the Tarim basin was caused by the uplift of the Pamir and consequent shut down of the moisture supply from the Paratethys Sea although the afterward intensification of tectonic events in the Pamir might be related to the phased uplift.