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Aim of the Study: As a traditional Chinese medicine, seed of Platycladus orientalis(Linnaeus) Franco has been extensively used as a tonic and sedative remedy. The present study was conducted to investigate whether lifespan was extended and the mechanisms of n-butanol extract from seed of Platycladus orientalis (BSPO) in Caenorhabditis elegans. The findings could provide the pharmacological basis for a treatment in traditional medicine., Materials and Methods: Lifespan extension by BSPO was evaluated under normal culture conditions and in a stress test. A possible mechanism of the anti-aging effect of BSPO, a change in the stress-resistance of related proteins, was also investigated in C. elegans., Results: It has been shown that BSPO could significantly extend lifespan of C. elegans in a concentration dependent manner under normal culture conditions and stress. Further studies demonstrated that BSPO treatment significantly decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, up-regulated resistance to stress of related proteins, including glutathione S-transferase-4 (GST-4) and heat shock protein-16.2 (HSP-16.2), and reduced the amount of lipofuscin in transgenic C. elegans., Conclusion: These results indicated that BSPO extended the lifespan, which could be attributed to its direct ROS scavenging activity, reducing the amount of lipofuscin and increasing the expression of gens associated with resistance to stress. These obtained data provided valuable support for traditional clinical practice to extend lifespan and to provide tonic remedy., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Moisture equilibrium curves are well accepted methods for moisture estimation of insulation paper in field transformers. The thermal aging effects on moisture partition diagrams of mineral oil-paper and a new aging-resistant mixed oil-paper insulation system were studied. The purpose was to assess the moisture content accurately, particularly in transformers used for long-term operations. Thermal aging experiment was conducted at 130 ?C for 80 days, and moisture equilibrium curves at five different aging degrees and three different temperatures were constructed. Results showed that under the same oil moisture content, the moisture content in paper decreased as the aging condition aggravated. The mass fraction of moisture content in oil and paper was calculated at each aging degree. Comparative results revealed that the moisture absorption capacity of insulation paper had an age-related decreasing tendency, whereas the moisture absorption capacity of insulating oil had an age-related increasing tendency. Moisture partition diagrams of mineral and aging-resistant mixed oil-paper samples were compared. Results showed that with the same oil moisture concentration, the moisture of insulation paper impregnated in mixed oil was remarkably lower than that impregnated in mineral oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of soil organic matter (SOM), aging and sterilization on the production of lignin peroxidase (LiP) and manganese peroxidase (MnP) by Phanerochaete chrysosporium during the biodegradation of pyrene in soils were investigated. The biodegradation of pyrene by P. chrysosporium decreased with increasing SOM content, whereas the maximum activities of LiP and MnP increased, which indicates that SOM outweighed pyrene in controlling enzyme production. Sterilization enhanced the degradation of pyrene due to the elimination of competition from indigenous microbes, whereas aging led to a reduction in the degradation of pyrene primarily through changes in its sorbed forms. Both sterilization and aging could reduce SOM content and alter its structure, which also influenced the bioavailability of pyrene and the enzyme activity. The sterilization and aging processes caused changes in the degradation of pyrene, and the enzyme activities were greater in soils with high SOM contents. MnP was related to the degradation of pyrene to a greater extent, whereas LiP was more related to the decomposition of SOM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]