Fine particles were collected at a suburban site in the inland Kanto plain, Japan, in the spring and winter of 2007, and the summer of 2008. Organic carbon (OC), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), elemental carbon (EC), inorganic ions, and water-soluble organic compounds (dicarboxylic acids and levoglucosan) were analyzed. The WSOC/OC ratio was the highest in summer, followed by in spring, suggesting that organic aerosols were influenced by aging. The concentrations of total diacids (C 2 -C 9 ) in spring and summer were higher than in winter. In each season, WSOC showed a strong positive correlation with the total diacids. Levoglucosan, which is recognized as a biomass burning tracer, was observed in a considerably higher concentration in winter than in spring or summer. In winter, WSOC also showed a strong positive correlation with levoglucosan. These results indicate that secondary formation is important as a source of WSOC and OC especially in the warm seasons, although emissions from biomass burning also contribute to WSOC in winter. By using the combination of source profile for biomass burning emission and EC tracer method, OC derived from biomass combustion in winter was calculated to be 47% of OC and OC derived from secondary formation in summer was calculated to be 75% of OC.

The bivoltine strain of the domestic silkworm, Bombyx mori, has two generations per year. It shows a facultative diapause phenotype determined by environmental conditions, including photoperiod and temperature, and nutrient conditions during embryonic and larval development of the mother. However, it remains unclear how the environmental signals received during development are selectively utilized as cues to determine alternative diapause phenotypes. We performed a comparative analysis between the Kosetsu strain of B. mori and a Japanese population of the wild mulberry silkworm B. mandarina concerning the hierarchical molecular mechanisms in diapause induction. Our results showed that for the Kosetsu, temperature signals during the mother’s embryonic development predominantly affected diapause determination through the thermosensitive transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) and diapause hormone (DH) signaling pathways. However, embryonic diapause in B. mandarina was photoperiod-dependent, although the DH signaling pathway and thermal sensitivity of TRPA1 were conserved within both species. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that TRPA1-activated signals are strongly linked to the signaling pathway participating in diapause induction in Kosetsu to selectively utilize the temperature information as the cue because temperature-dependent induction was replaced by photoperiodic induction in the TRPA1 knockout mutant.

Purpose Kallmann syndrome is a genetic disorder characterized by hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and anosmia. We report the case of a 31-year-old woman with Kallmann syndrome who successfully gave birth after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and vitrifiedwarmed embryo transfer, despite relatively ineffective ovarian stimulation. Method A 30 year-old woman with primary amenorrhea wished to achieve pregnancy. Diagnostic testing results were consistent with Kallmann syndrome. Follicular stimulation was started with human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG; 150 IU/day). After 28 days of treatment, 4 follicles were observed (total hMG; 4200 IU), with a dominant follicle diameter of 23 mm. Ovum pick-up was performed and 2 oocytes, one at metaphase II (MII) and one at the germinal vesicle stage, were obtained. Piezo-ICSI was performed on the MII oocyte and an 8-cell stage embryo was cryopreserved on day 3. Subsequently, embryo transfer was performed after endometrial preparation. Result A gestational sac and embryo heart activity were confirmed by ultrasonographic monitoring, and a healthy male infant weighing 3246 g was delivered by Caesarean section after 41 weeks 3 days of gestation. Conclusion This is the first report of a healthy delivery after vitrified-warmed embryo transfer for a woman with Kallmann syndrome. Our experience suggests that ICSI and vitrified-warmed embryo transfer are effective for women with Kallmann syndrome.

The bivoltine strain of the domestic silkworm, Bombyx mori, has two generations per year. It shows a facultative diapause phenotype determined by environmental conditions, including photoperiod and temperature, and nutrient conditions during embryonic and larval development of the mother. However, it remains unclear how the environmental signals received during development are selectively utilized as cues to determine alternative diapause phenotypes. We performed a comparative analysis between the Kosetsu strain of B. mori and a Japanese population of the wild mulberry silkworm B. mandarina concerning the hierarchical molecular mechanisms in diapause induction. Our results showed that for the Kosetsu, temperature signals during the mother’s embryonic development predominantly affected diapause determination through the thermosensitive transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) and diapause hormone (DH) signaling pathways. However, embryonic diapause in B. mandarina was photoperiod-dependent, although the DH signaling pathway and thermal sensitivity of TRPA1 were conserved within both species. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that TRPA1-activated signals are strongly linked to the signaling pathway participating in diapause induction in Kosetsu to selectively utilize the temperature information as the cue because temperature-dependent induction was replaced by photoperiodic induction in the TRPA1 knockout mutant.