The Beauty of Elegance ‘Pungnyu＇ in the Tea Culture of Korea

‘Tea culture＇ broadly includes ‘providing tea＇,‘ the tea ceremony＇,‘ tea ritual＇,‘ tea artistry＇ and ‘ tea party＇.The concept of ‘Pungnyu＇ in Korea was proposed by Choi Chi-won （857 ～ 894？）,who pointed out that ＂there is a profound truth ‘ Tao＇ in Korea,which was considered to be ‘ Pungnyu＇ or the beauty of elegance.The origin of ‘Pungnyu＇ can be traced back to the history of hermits.‘Pungnyu＇ includes the teachings of Buddhism,Confucianism and Taoism.     

Functional Components of Tea （Camellia Sinensis） Germplasms Collected in Korea

This study was carried out to obtain useful information and to search quality related components for breeding of tea by analysis of Korean local tea leaves at Sulloc-Cha R＆D center in Jeju Island,Korea.It was also conducted to measure the major agronomic characteristics of 300 local germplasms.These results allowed us to select some superior lines as genetic resources for green-tea breeding and research genotypes.     

Comparative analysis of the theoretical–technical potential of rice straw bioenergy in South Korea

Paddy and Water Environment - Environmental pollution and climate change have rendered the development of renewable energies essential for future generations. Although several studies have been...     

Effects of temperature and pH on the inhibition of Bensulfuron-Methyl(BSM)

Bensulfuron-Methyl(BSM) is a highly active sulfonylurea herbicide that effectively controls most annual and perennial broadleaf or sedge weeds in paddy field. However, the activity of BSM is affected by several evironmental factors. Using corn seedlings as material, we found that under different temperatures     

Effect of home processing on ascorbic acid and β-carotene content of spinach (Spinacia oleracia) and amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor) leaves

The present investigation was conducted to study the concentration of ascorbic acid and -carotene in spinach and amaranth leaves as affected by various domestic processing and cooking methods which included storage of leaves in polythene bags or without packing for 24 and 48 hours in refrigerator at 5 °C; at 30 °C in polythene bags; drying (sun and oven); blanching (5, 10, 15 min); open pan and pressure cooking. Ascorbic acid content of fresh leaves was 624.1 to 629.0 mg and -carotene content was 35.3 to 53.1 mg/100 g dry weight. The percent loss of ascorbic acid ranged from 1.1 to 6.3 and 55.3 to 65.9 while lower losses (0.0 to 1.3 and 1.5 to 2.1) of -carotene were observed in leaves stored in refrigerator and at 30 °C, respectively. A markedly greater reduction in ascorbic acid and -carotene was observed in dried, blanched and cooked leaves. The study recommended the storage of leaves in refrigerator, drying in oven, blanching for shorter time and cooking in pressure cooker for better retention of these two vitamins.     

Synthesis of (3S,3′S)- and meso-Stereoisomers of Alloxanthin and Determination of Absolute Configuration of Alloxanthin Isolated from Aquatic Animals

In order to determine the absolute configuration of naturally occurring alloxanthin, a HPLC analytical method for three stereoisomers 1a–c was established by using a chiral column. Two authentic samples, (3S,3′S)- and meso-stereoisomers 1b and 1c, were chemically synthesized according to the method previously developed for (3R,3′R)-alloxanthin (1a). Application of this method to various alloxanthin specimens of aquatic animals demonstrated that those isolated from shellfishes, tunicates, and crucian carp are identical with (3R,3′R)-stereoisomer 1a, and unexpectedly those from lake shrimp, catfish, biwa goby, and biwa trout are mixtures of three stereoisomers of 1a–c.     

Levels of β-carotene and effects of processing on selected fruits and vegetables of the arid zone of India

Some locally available fruits and vegetables of the arid zone of Rajasthanwere analyzed for their -carotene content; the selected fruits and vegetables were: Dansra (Rhus myserensis), Kachri (Cucumis collosus), fruit Kachri (Cucumis collosus), Kair (Capparisdecidua) and Sanghri (Prosopis cineriria). The -carotene contents of the samples were estimated in fresh and various processed states (blanched, dried and roasted). The results showed the heat lability of -carotene. Among the samples, kair was found to be the richest source of -carotene. Variety, too, had an impact on the content of this fat soluble vitamin.     

Characterization and online detection of surfactin isomers based on HPLC-MS(n) analyses and their inhibitory effects on the overproduction of nitric oxide and the release of TNF-α and IL-6 in LPS-induced macrophages

A rapid method for characterization and online detection of surfactin isomers was developed based on HPLC-MS(n) (n = 1, 2, 3) analyses, and many surfactin isomers were detected and characterized from the bioactive fraction of the mangrove bacterium Bacillus sp. Inhibitory activities of surfactin isomers on the overproduction of nitric oxide and the release of TNF-α and IL-6 in LPS-induced macrophages were systematically investigated. It was revealed that the surfactin isomers showed strong inhibitory properties on the overproduction of nitric oxide and the release of IL-6 on LPS-induced murine macrophage cell RAW264.7 with IC(50) values ranging from 1.0 to 7.0 μM. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies revealed that the existence of the free carboxyl group in the structure of surfactin isomers was crucial. These findings will be very helpful for the development of this novel kind of natural product as new anti-inflammatory agents.     

Cytotoxic and antimicrobial activity of pseudopterosins and seco-pseudopterosins isolated from the octocoral Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae of San Andrés and Providencia Islands (Southwest Caribbean Sea)

To expand the potential of pseudopterosins and seco-pseudopterosins isolated from the octocoral Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae of San Andrés and Providencia islands (southwest Caribbean Sea), we report the anti-microbial profile against four pathogenic microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans) and report a more complete cytotoxic profile against five human cells lines (HeLa, PC-3, HCT116, MCF-7 and BJ) for the compounds PsG, PsP, PsQ, PsS, PsT, PsU, 3-O-acetyl-PsU, seco-PsJ, seco-PsK and IMNGD. For the cytotoxic profiles, all compounds evaluated showed moderate and non-selective activity against both tumor and normal cell lines, where PsQ and PsG were the most active compounds (GI₅₀ values between 5.8 μM to 12.0 μM). With respect to their anti-microbial activity the compounds showed good and selective activity against the Gram-positive bacteria, while they did not show activity against the Gram-negative bacterium or yeast. PsU, PsQ, PsS, seco-PsK and PsG were the most active compounds (IC₅₀ 2.9–4.5 μM) against S. aureus and PsG, PsU and seco-PsK showed good activity (IC₅₀ 3.1–3.8 μM) against E. faecalis, comparable to the reference drug vancomycin (4.2 μM).     

Effect of alkaline treatment (‘akanwu’) and supplementary value of corn or crayfish on the protein quality of breadfruit (Treculia Africana)

The effect of treatment and supplementary value of corn (C) or crayfish (CR) on the protein quality of breadfruit (Treculia Africana) flours were studied in eighteen young rats. The 7030 or 701515 (Protein basis) combinations of breadfruit flours and corn or crayfish or both provided 1.6g N/100 g diet for the 35 day study. The addition of akanwu to the cooking water reduced cooking time and crude protein and saved fuel. The addition of akanwu and replacement of CR with C was not beneficial as judged by the parameters tested except for the wt. gain and PER. On the other hand, when crayfish was the only source of supplementary protein (30%) to breadfruit cooked without akanwu there were increases in all parameters tested over those with added akanwu except for the N intake, wt. gain, and PER.These results appear to suggest that addition of akanwu to TA was detrimental to its protein utilization and that TA appears to be an economic source of N in areas where it is a staple. Based on the results of this study, one would suggest that the use of akanwu as a tenderizer should be seriously looked into before further use.     

Structure and performance of poly(γ-benzyl L-glutamate)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) copolymer membrane

Poly(γ-benzyl L-glutamate)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) (PBLG-graft-PEG) copolymer was synthesized by the ester exchange reaction of PBLG homopolymer with PEG chain. Chemical structure of PBLG-graft-PEG was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, morphology of copolymer membrane was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermal transition behavior was studied using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). It was revealed that PBLG-graft-PEG copolymer holds different structure and performance compared with PBLG homopolymer. The introduction of PEG chains not only decreases the melting point of PBLG segments in PBLG-graft-PEG, but also changes the morphology of PBLG segments. Influence of grafting ratio on chemical and mechanical properties of PBLG-graft-PEG copolymer membrane was studied.     

Biological characteristics of Ustilaginoidae virens and the screening in vitro of the causal pathogen of false smut of rice and fungicides

Green smut bails were collected from diseased rice panicles and surtace sterilized in sodium chloride for 5 minutes. The orange colored internal tissues were placed on PDA medium kept at 25℃ for 5 d to get pure cultures. PDA plates with the pathogen mycelial pieces in diameter of 5mm were incubated under 9 temperature grades ranged from 13 to 35℃.     

Effects of EGF on seed-setting and yield of rice

Intersubspecies hybrid rice have strong heterosis but low seed-setting rate, Researches have showed that most of unfilled and partiallyfilled grains occurred in late-flowering spikelets on the base of a panicle, which usually maintain quiescent state for a period after flowering.     

Monitoring of Insecticide Resistance and Genetic Analysis of Triazophos Resistance in Chilo suppressalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

During 2001 and 2002, insecticide resistance in the fourth instar larvae of striped stem borer (Chilo suppressalis), which were collected from Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui and Jiangxi provinces in China, was monitored using topical application method. Low level of resistance to fipronil (6.5-fold) was detected for the first time in RA (Rui’an) population from southeast Zhejiang, but the other six populations tested remained susceptible to this recently introduced insecticide. No resistance to abamectin had been found after examining six populations from Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces. Resistance to triazophos was monitored in ten populations from the four Provinces, and very high level resistance(163.1-fold) was found in RA population, moderate (18.2-fold) in WZ (Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province) population, and low (6.7- to 9.7-fold) in populations of CS (Changshu), XS (Xishan) and JT (Jintan) from south Jiangsu, whereas the other five populations were susceptible. All the nine populations monitored were resistant to monosultap with varying degree, i.e. high level (113.7- and 57.6-fold, respectively) of resistance in RA and YF (Yifeng, Jiangxi Province) populations, moderate (11.0- to 29.7-fold) in WZ, CS, JT and TH (Taihu, Anhui Province) populations, low (6.7- and 7.5-fold, respectively) in XY (Xinyang, Jiangsu Province) and XS populations, and the lowest (3.7-fold) in GY (Guanyun, Jiangsu Province) population. Inheritance of resistance in triazophos selected strain Rts was studied through reciprocal cross and backcross experiments. The preliminary results indicated that inheritance of triazophos resistance in Rts strain was incompletely dominant, with degrees of dominance being 0.46 and 0.68 for reciprocal crosses, and that the resistance was controlled by a major gene, though minor modifying gene(s) might be involved.     

Analysis of genotype differences of rice response to low Zn~(2+) activity and some morphological characteristics

Zinc deficiency is one of the most widespreadmicro-nutritional disorder for rice.To solve     

Report of the joint meeting of the Potato Section of EUCARPIA and the Section Breeding and varietal assessment of the EAPR, 3–7 July, 2000, Warsaw (Poland)

Report

Report of the joint meeting of the Potato Section of EUCARPIA and the Section Breeding and varietal assessment of the EAPR, 3–7 July, 2000, Warsaw (Poland)     

Effects of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) Treatment on Postharvest Physiology and Quality of ‘Younai' Fruits

研究1.2 μL/L的1-甲基环丙烯(1-methylcyclopropene,1-MCP)处理对在(25±1)℃下贮藏的‘油檬’(Prunus salicina Lindl.cv.Younai)果实采后生理和品质的影响.结果表明,与对照果实相比,1-MCP处理可有效降低‘油(檫)’果实呼吸强度、呼吸峰值和乙烯释放量,延缓果实细胞膜相对渗透率升高和果实表面色调角h.值的下降,保持较高的果实硬度、可滴定酸和果皮叶绿素含量,延迟果实外观颜色转变,减少果实失重和腐烂.经1-MCP处理的果实在(25±1)℃下贮藏15d时的好果率为80％,而对照果实只有58％.因此认为,1-MCP处理可以延缓采后‘油榇’果实后熟衰老和保持果实品质,延长果实保鲜期.