Contribution of individual polyphenolics to total antioxidant capacity of plums

To study the effect of polyphenolics on antioxidant capacities of plums, the amounts of total phenolics, total flavonoids and individual phenolic compounds, and vitamin C equivalent antioxidant capacity (VCEAC) of eleven plum cultivars was determined. There was a good linear relationship between the amount of total phenolics and total antioxidant capacity (r2 = 0.9887). The amount of total flavonoids and total antioxidant capacity also showed a good correlation (r2 = 0.9653). Although the summation of individual antioxidant capacity was lower than the total antioxidant capacity of plum samples, there was a positive correlation (r2 = 0.9299) of total antioxidant capacity of plum samples with the sum of the VCEACs calculated from individual phenolics. Chlorogenic acids and glycosides of cyanidin, peonidin, and quercetin were major phenolics among eleven plum cultivars. The antioxidant capacity of chlorogenic acids and anthocyanins showed higher correlation (r2) of 0.7751 and 0.6616 to total VCEAC, respectively, than that of quercetin glycosides (r2 = 0.0279). Chlorogenic acids were a major source of antioxidant activity in plums, and the consumption of one serving (100 g) of plums can provide antioxidants equivalent to 144.4-889.6 mg of vitamin C.     

Tyrosinase inhibitors of Pulsatilla cernua root-derived materials

The inhibition of mushroom tyrosinase by Pulsatilla cernua root-derived materials was evaluated. The bioactive components of Pulsatilla cernua root were characterized by spectroscopic analyses as 3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid, which exhibited potent antityrosinase activity. The ID50 values of 3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid were 0.97 and 0.33 mM, respectively. The compounds isolated from Pulsatilla cernua roots exhibited noncompetitive inhibition against oxidation of L-DOPA by mushroom tyrosinase. This activity was compared with that of three cinnamic acid derivatives and four well-known tyrosinase inhibitors. The ID50 of 4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid exhibited superior activity relative to anisaldehyde, anisic acid, benzoic acid, benzaldehyde, cinnamic acid, and cinnamaldehyde; but antityrosinase inhibitors and cinnamic acid derivatives, except for cinnamyl alcohol, were slightly more effective than 3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid. In the case of benzaldehyde and cinnamaldehyde, the aldehyde group is, apparently, a key group in eliciting potent inhibitory activity, whereas anisaldehyde is more effective than anisic acid. Methoxy substitutions, such as 2-methoxycinnamic acid, 3-methoxycinnamic acid, and 4-methoxycinnamic acid, enhanced inhibition of tyrosinase activity. As a naturally occurring tyrosinase inhibitor, 3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid may be useful as new agents to inhibit the oxidation of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) by mushroom tyrosinase.     

Estimation of Ammonia Emission in South Korea

The importance of ammonia (NH₃) in the atmosphere andits role in acidification is increasingly recognized. Adetailed emission inventory of NH₃ for South Korea iscarried out for different sources using emission factors.Results indicate that the emission of ammonia has increasedby 21% over the last 11 yr from 143 000 t yr^-1 in1988 to 181 000 t yr^-1 in 1998. The major contributorsto the NH₃ emission in South Korea are livestock andfertilizer application that account for 70 and 26% oftotal NH₃ emission, respectively. The 11 × 14 km (0.125° long. × 0.125° lat.) grid distribution of emission of ammonia shows an maximum in the Yochon area due to the largest fertilizer factory and relatively wide regions of high NH₃ emission in thenorthwestern part of South Korea due to a great number of livestock. It is found that the nitrogen ratio of wet deposition of NH₄ ⁺ to emission of NH₃ in SouthKorea is averaged to be 0.45.     

The Impact of Geographical Proximity on Vertical Integration through Specific Assets: The Case of the Spanish Meat Industry

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the role that agglomeration may have on vertical boundaries in exchanges associated with high transaction costs. Transaction cost economics identifies the presence of specific assets in stages of the value chain as the main driver of vertical integration. However, under the trustworthy and shared social milieu that agglomerated spaces may confer, neighboring firms can enjoy lower opportunism risk and communication costs. Therefore, we assume that even in the presence of specific assets, physically proximate firms are more likely to remain specialized and establish market exchanges. Empirical evidence in 10,186 establishments from the Spanish meat industry confirms these hypotheses, although it is found that the moderating role of agglomeration in the relationship between asset specificity and vertical integration has a limited geographical reach.     

Agglomeration and Competition among Chinese Cities: An Investigation of Taiwanese High‐Tech Foreign Direct Investment

The purpose of this study was to investigate how Taiwanese high‐tech firms' foreign direct investment (FDI) leads to agglomeration and competition among cities in China. By using social network analysis to analyze 1,111 subsidiaries affiliated with 270 multinational corporations (MNCs) during the years between 1988 and 2006 in 30 major Chinese cities, this study finds that: 1) agglomeration in Chinese cities falls into three primary categories: the hub cluster, the communication‐extended cluster, and the computer‐extended cluster. Among the aforementioned clusters, the hub cluster is the most critical in terms of firm location, and therefore is often a high‐priority investment site for Taiwanese high‐tech firms. 2) Chinese cities fall into four primary groups, or “blocks”: the core block, the coast block, the inland block, and the periphery block; these groups were determined by applying a structural equivalence analysis of which members of each type are in competition with one another. By linking the findings of the urban network characteristics to Chinese regional economic policies, this study provides guidance to aid executives in determining the optimal location for future FDI. Implications and suggestions for host country governments in terms of firms' investment strategies are also discussed.     

QTL identification of yield-related traits and their association with flowering and maturity in soybean

Two soybean recombinant inbred line populations, Jinpumkong 2 × SS2-2 (J × S) and Iksannamulkong × SS2-2 (I x S) showed population-specific quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for days to flowering (DF) and days to maturity (DM) and these were closely correlated within population. In the present study, we identified QTLs for six yield-related traits with simple sequence repeat markers, and biological correlations between flowering traits and yield-related traits. The yield-related traits included plant height (PH), node numbers of main stem (NNMS), pod numbers per plant (PNPP), seed numbers per pod (SNPP), 100-seed weight (SW), and seed yield per plant (SYPP). Eighteen QTLs for six yield-related traits were detected on nine chromosomes (Chrs), containing four QTLs for PH, two for NNMS, two for PNPP, three for SNPP, five for SW, and two for SYPP. Two highly significant QTLs for PH and NNMS were identified on Chr 6 (LG C2) in both populations where the major flowering gene, E1, and two DF and DM QTLs were located. One other PNPP QTL was also located on this region, explaining 12.9% of phenotypic variation. Other QTLs for yield-related traits showed population-specificity. Two significant SYPP QTLs potentially related with QTLs for SNPP and PNPP were found on the same loci of Chrs 8 (Satt390) and 10 (Sat_108). Also, highly significant positive phenotypic correlations (P < 0.01) were found between DF with PH, NNMS, PNPP, and SYPP in both populations, while flowering was negatively correlated with SNPP and SW in the J × S (P < 0.05) and I × S (P < 0.01) populations. Similar results were also shown between DM and yield-related traits, except for one SW. These QTLs identified may be useful for marker-assisted selection by soybean breeders.