Life Extension (life + extension)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Microstructure,Property Correlations in Industrial Thermal Barrier Coatings

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 7 2004
Anand A. Kulkarni
This paper describes the results from multidisciplinary characterization/scattering techniques used for the quantitative characterization of industrial thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems used in advanced gas turbines. While past requirements for TBCs primarily addressed the function of insulation/life extension of the metallic components, new demands necessitate a requirement for spallation resistance/strain tolerance, i.e., prime reliance, on the part of the TBC. In an extensive effort to incorporate these TBCs, a design-of-experiment approach was undertaken to develop tailored coating properties by processing under varied conditions. Efforts focusing on achieving durable/high-performance coatings led to dense vertically cracked (DVC) TBCs, exhibiting quasi-columnar microstructures approximating electron-beam physical-vapor-deposited (EB-PVD) coatings. Quantitative representation of the microstructural features in these vastly different coatings is obtained, in terms of porosity, opening dimensions, orientation, morphologies, and pore size distribution, by means of small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS) studies. Such comprehensive characterization, coupled with elastic modulus and thermal conductivity measurements of the coatings, help establish relationships between microstructure and properties in a systematic manner. [source]


Inhibition of lipid peroxidation by anthocyanins, anthocyanidins and their phenolic degradation products

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF LIPID SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 1 2007
Jonathan E. Brown
Abstract Food components that delay or prevent biomolecule oxidation may be relevant in shelf life extension as well as disease prevention. Anthocyanins are a potentially important group of compounds, but they are prone to degradation both in vitro and in vivo, producing simple phenols. In this study, eight structurally related (poly)phenols [anthocyan(id)ins and phenolic acids] were examined for their ability to inhibit lipid oxidation at physiologically relevant concentrations (100,1000,nM) using the Cu2+ -mediated low-density lipoprotein oxidation model. Interaction between each (poly)phenol and Cu2+ ions was also investigated. (Poly)phenols with an ortho -dihydroxy group arrangement, i.e. cyanidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin and protocatechuic acid, were the most effective within their class, extending the lag phase to oxidation by 137, 255 and 402%, respectively (at 1000,nM). At the same concentration, trihydroxy-substituted compounds (delphinidin and gallic acid) were of intermediate efficacy, extending the lag phase by 175 and 38%, respectively. Compounds with the 4'-hydroxy-3',5'-methoxy arrangement (i.e. malvidin-3-glucoside and malvidin) were the least effective (3 and 58% extension, respectively), while syringic acid (4-hydroxy-3,5-dihydroxy benzoic acid) was pro-oxidant (lag phase shortened by 31%). (Poly)phenols with the ortho -dihydroxy arrangement chelated Cu2+ ions, which in part explains their greater efficacy over the other (poly)phenols in this model oxidation system. However, differences in their hydrogen-donating properties and their partitioning between lipid and hydrophilic phases are also relevant in explaining these structure-activity relationships. [source]


Shelf life extension of durum semolina-based fresh pasta

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 8 2010
Cristina Costa
Summary In this work, the combined effects of chitosan, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and packaging barrier properties on shelf life of fresh pasta is presented. In particular, all pasta samples were packaged under active and passive MAP in two different polymeric films with high and low barrier properties. In order to assess the influence of the variables described beforehand on the shelf life of pasta, the sensorial and microbiological quality has been monitored during storage. Results confirmed the antimicrobial properties of chitosan. Moreover, the findings recorded in this study suggest that the shelf life of fresh pasta is limited by the sensorial characteristics. Statistically significant differences between the shelf life of pasta packaged in low barrier and high barrier films were found. The best result was obtained for samples packaged in high barrier film, due to the ability of the packaging to maintain the gas headspace conditions during the storage. [source]


Genetic variation in the murine lifespan response to dietary restriction: from life extension to life shortening

AGING CELL, Issue 1 2010
Chen-Yu Liao
Summary Chronic dietary restriction (DR) is considered among the most robust life-extending interventions, but several reports indicate that DR does not always extend and may even shorten lifespan in some genotypes. An unbiased genetic screen of the lifespan response to DR has been lacking. Here, we measured the effect of one commonly used level of DR (40% reduction in food intake) on mean lifespan of virgin males and females in 41 recombinant inbred strains of mice. Mean strain-specific lifespan varied two to threefold under ad libitum (AL) feeding and 6- to 10-fold under DR, in males and females respectively. Notably, DR shortened lifespan in more strains than those in which it lengthened life. Food intake and female fertility varied markedly among strains under AL feeding, but neither predicted DR survival: therefore, strains in which DR shortened lifespan did not have low food intake or poor reproductive potential. Finally, strain-specific lifespans under DR and AL feeding were not correlated, indicating that the genetic determinants of lifespan under these two conditions differ. These results demonstrate that the lifespan response to a single level of DR exhibits wide variation amenable to genetic analysis. They also show that DR can shorten lifespan in inbred mice. Although strains with shortened lifespan under 40% DR may not respond negatively under less stringent DR, the results raise the possibility that life extension by DR may not be universal. [source]


Caenorhabditis elegans PI3K mutants reveal novel genes underlying exceptional stress resistance and lifespan

AGING CELL, Issue 6 2009
Srinivas Ayyadevara
Summary Two age-1 nonsense mutants, truncating the class-I phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase catalytic subunit (PI3KCS) before its kinase domain, confer extraordinary longevity and stress-resistance to Caenorhabditis elegans. These traits, unique to second-generation homozygotes, are blunted at the first generation and are largely reversed by additional mutations to DAF-16/FOXO, a transcription factor downstream of AGE-1 in insulin-like signaling. The strong age-1 alleles (mg44, m333) were compared with the weaker hx546 allele on expression microarrays, testing four independent cohorts of each allele. Among 276 genes with significantly differential expression, 92% showed fewer transcripts in adults carrying strong age-1 alleles rather than hx546. This proportion is significantly greater than the slight bias observed when contrasting age-1 alleles to wild-type worms. Thus, transcriptional changes peculiar to nonsense alleles primarily involve either gene silencing or failure of transcriptional activation. A subset of genes responding preferentially to age-1- nonsense alleles was reassessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction, in worms bearing strong or weak age-1 alleles; nearly all of these were significantly more responsive to the age-1(mg44) allele than to age-1(hx546). Additional mutation of daf-16 reverted the majority of altered mg44 -F2 expression levels to approximately wild-type values, although a substantial number of genes remained significantly distinct from wild-type, implying that age-1(mg44) modulates transcription through both DAF-16/FOXO-dependent and ­independent channels. When age-1 -inhibited genes were targeted by RNA interference (RNAi) in wild-type or age-1(hx546) adults, most conferred significant oxidative-stress protection. RNAi constructs targeting two of those genes were shown previously to extend life, and RNAi's targeting five novel genes were found here to increase lifespan. PI3K - null mutants may thus implicate novel mechanisms of life extension. [source]


Temperature affects longevity and age-related locomotor and cognitive decay in the short-lived fish Nothobranchius furzeri

AGING CELL, Issue 3 2006
Dario R. Valenzano
Summary Temperature variations are known to modulate aging and life-history traits in poikilotherms as different as worms, flies and fish. In invertebrates, temperature affects lifespan by modulating the slope of age-dependent acceleration in death rate, which is thought to reflect the rate of age-related damage accumulation. Here, we studied the effects of temperature on aging kinetics, aging-related behavioural deficits, and age-associated histological markers of senescence in the short-lived fish Nothobranchius furzeri. This species shows a maximum captive lifespan of only 3 months, which is tied with acceleration in growth and expression of aging biomarkers. These biological peculiarities make it a very convenient animal model for testing the effects of experimental manipulations on life-history traits in vertebrates. Here, we show that (i) lowering temperature from 25 °C to 22 °C increases both median and maximum lifespan; (ii) life extension is due to reduction in the slope of the age-dependent acceleration in death rate; (iii) lowering temperature from 25 °C to 22 °C retards the onset of age-related locomotor and learning deficits; and (iv) lowering temperature from 25 °C to 22 °C reduces the accumulation of the age-related marker lipofuscin. We conclude that lowering water temperature is a simple experimental manipulation which retards the rate of age-related damage accumulation in this short-lived species. [source]


Addition of Carbon Dioxide to Dairy Products to Improve Quality: A Comprehensive Review

COMPREHENSIVE REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND FOOD SAFETY, Issue 4 2006
Joseph H. Hotchkiss
ABSTRACT:,Changes in distribution patterns and demand for increased food quality have resulted in a desire to improve the shelf life of nonsterile dairy products. Refrigerated shelf life extension typically requires, at a minimum, reductions in the growth rate of spoilage microorganisms and subsequent product deterioration. Reducing initial bacterial loads, increasing pasteurization regimes, and reducing postprocessing contamination have all been employed with measured success. The use of antimicrobial additives has been discouraged primarily due to labeling requirements and perceived toxicity risks. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a naturally occurring milk component and inhibitory toward select dairy spoilage microorganisms; however, the precise mechanism is not fully understood. CO2 addition through modified atmosphere packaging or direct injection as a cost-effective shelf life extension strategy is used commercially worldwide for some dairy products and is being considered for others as well. New CO2 technologies are being developed for improvements in the shelf life, quality, and yield of a diversity of dairy products, including raw and pasteurized milk, cheeses, cottage cheese, yogurt, and fermented dairy beverages. Here we present a comprehensive review of past and present research related to quality improvement of such dairy products using CO2. [source]