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As days rolls internet information grows exponentially and the personalized recommendation system has its vibrant area of research providing relevant information to the user needs. Hybrid recommender systems combines both implicit and explicit feedbacks from user by integrating collaborative and content based recommender system. However, the real time hybrid systems are not focusing on current temporal context of the user on providing the recommendation. This paper proposed a hybrid movie recommendation system that considers recent transactions and also demographic attributes for recommending a item to the target user. The demographic attributes aids in overcoming the cold start problem. The results of the experimental study on movie lens dataset clearly indicate that the proposed system was found to be effective by considering the recent transactions with higher ratings.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an asbestos-linked cancer associated with a very poor prognosis. Surgical interventions form an important aspect of the management of this aggressive form of cancer. However, debate continues regarding the different treatment options available. Video assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has been the procedure of choice for the diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma as big samples can be taken from multiple areas of the chest under direct vision. It may also be used as a palliative procedure to drain pleural effusion and perform pleurodesis. Other surgical options include extrapleural pneumonectomy, radical pleurectomy or extended pleurectomy decortication and pleurectomy and decortication. Frequently, these surgical procedures are performed in conjunction with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. In this review we will discuss the developments and remaining controversies of surgery in the context of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Assessment of nicotine withdrawal symptoms is an essential part of tobacco dependence treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Malay translated version of the Minnesota Nicotine Withdrawal Scale (MNWS).

Statistical design analysis (factorial design) was utilized to verify the significance and the interaction between the studied factors include temperature, reduction time and catalyst amount. Carbothermal reduction of iron ore sample was carried out at temperature between 1000oC to 1200oC. The effects of operating parameters studied were extent of reduction (X), carbon consumed (Cconsumed ) and nitridation (XN). Temperature was the most influential parameter that showed strong interaction with the operating parameters, meanwhile, reduction time and catalyst have showed the contrary results and had a very low percentage of contribution. The results of the experimental design showed that the extent of reduction reached up to 93% at 1200 oC using 10 wt. % catalysts after 180 minutes reduction. The use of 0-10 wt % catalyst at 1200 oC for 180 min reduction significantly affect the X but did not for Cconsumed and XN.Keywords: Carbothermal Reduction, Factorial Design, Malaysian Ilmenite, Nitridation.

Modern medicine is directed towards the prevention, detection and cure of individual diseases. Yet, current medical models inadequately describe aging-associated diseases. We now know that failure in longevity pathways including oxidative stress, multisystem dysregulation, inflammation, sarcopenia, protein deposition and atherosclerosis are associated with age-related diseases. Such longevity pathways are potential targets for therapeutic intervention. Interventions in specific pathways have been shown to ameliorate and postpone the aging phenotype by activation of multiple genes. The strategy that we propose in this paper is to apply interventions simultaneously on complementary longevity pathways to achieve a synergistic result. For instance, aging is known to attenuate the HSF1 pathway leading to production of very toxic beta-amyloid fibrils. Consequently, the FoxO pathway is activated, resulting in the formation of less toxic high molecular weight aggregates as a defense mechanism. Thus the simultaneous upregulation of the HSF1 and FoxO pathways could potentially decrease protein deposition and proteotoxicity, thereby retarding or possibly preventing the onset of neurodegenerative diseases. Modulating these two pathways may also delay the onset of other age-related pathologies including cognitive decline, cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease due to its multi-gene effect. In this paper, we will discuss the role of several agents on the simultaneous modulation of these two central longevity pathways. The aging of western societies makes prevention of age-related diseases a pressing priority.

The effect of dactinomycin on cellular respiration and accompanying ATP formation was investigated in Jurkat and HL-60 cells. Cellular mitochondrial oxygen consumption (measured by a homemade phosphorescence analyzer) and ATP content (measured by the luciferin-luciferase bioluminescence system) were determined as functions of time tduring continuous exposure to the drug. The rate of respiration, k, was the negative of the slope of O2 versus t. Oxygen consumption and ATP content were diminished by cyanide, confirming that both processes involved oxidations in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. In the presence of dactinomycin, kdecreased gradually with t, the decrease being more pronounced at higher drug concentrations. Cellular ATP remained constant for 5 h in untreated cells, but in the presence of 20 M dactinomycin it decreased gradually (to one-tenth the value at 5 h for untreated cells). The drug-induced inhibition of respiration and decrease in ATP were blocked by the pancaspase inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-DL-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone (zVAD-fmk). A rapid but temporary decrease in cellular ATP observed on the addition of zVAD-fmk was shown to be due to DMSO (added with zVAD-fmk). The effect of dactinomycin on respiration differed from that of doxorubicin. Plots of O2 versus twere curved for dactinomycin so that kdecreased gradually with t. The corresponding plots for doxorubicin were well fit by two straight lines; so k was constant for ~150 min, at which time kdecreased, remaining constant at a lower level thereafter. The results for cells treated with mixtures of the two drugs indicated that the drugs acted synergistically. These results show the onset and severity of mitochondrial dysfunction in cells undergoing apoptosis induced by dactinomycin.

The blends of Polypropylene (PP), that is a semicrystalline and nonpolar thermoplastic polymer with a polar and amorphous polymer such as Polystyrene (PS), are known to be immiscible. This article investigates the use of an aromatic vinyl monomer (AVM)-grafted PP (PPA) as a potential compatibilizer for such an immiscible blend system (PP/PS blend). PPA was prepared by grafting a monofunctional aromatic vinyl monomer onto PP using an organic peroxide at 180°C for 10 min in a Brabender mixer. Using a twin-screw extruder, blends of PP/PS in various composition containing different amount of PPA were prepared. Results obtained from tensile and impact strength, heat deflection, and melt flow index measurements shows some improvement in the properties of the blends indicating some compatibilization effects in the blend system. However, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs strongly suggested a significant compatibilization between PP and PS. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 428–434, 2001

Enrichment ofcis-5 polyunsaturated fatty acids [20:3(5c,11c,14c), 4.3% and 20:4(5c,11c,14c,17c), 11.3%] fromBiota orientalisseed oil was carried out by lipase-catalyzed selective esterification and hydrolysis reactions. Lipases fromRhizomucor miehei(Lipozyme),Candida cylindraceaand porcine pancreas were used. Lipozyme-catalyzed esterification ofBiotafatty acids withn-butanol inn-hexane allowed 20:3 and 20:4 (as fatty acids) to be enriched to a maximum level of 52.9%, and in the presence ofC. cylindracealipase 61.5% enrichment was achieved. Esterification with pancreatic lipase was poor with low levels of enrichment of 20:3 and 20:4 (22%). A multigram scale esterification of the free fatty acids fromBiotaseed oil by repeated treatment of the isolated fatty acid fraction withn-butanol inn-hexane in the presence ofC. cylindracealipase furnished an enrichment yield of 72.5% of a mixture of 20:3 and 20:4 fatty acids. Urea fractionation of the free fatty acids ofBiotaoil gave an initial enriched fraction of 20:3 (9.5%) and 20:4 (25.2%) which, upon treatment withC. cylindracealipase inn-butanol andn-hexane, gave an enriched fraction of 85.3% of 20:3 and 20:4 fatty acids. Partial hydrolysis of the triglycerides ofBiotaoil byC. cylindracealipase in potassium phosphate buffer at 25°C resulted in a 2.8-fold enrichment ofcis-5 polyunsaturated fatty acids (40.8% of 20:3 and 20:4) as contained in the unhydrolyzed acylglycerol fractions.

Commercially available 3Y‐TZP and Mg‐PSZ flats were abraded by a 150° diamond cone at ‐196°, 25°, 200°, and 400°C. The coefficient of friction, the track width, and the morphological features of the track were recorded. Raman spectroscopy was used to record the tetragonal‐to monoclinic phase transformation (t → m) as a function of distance away from the track. The study was undertaken to establish the influence of tangential traction on phase transformation and surface damage.

An extensive study of indentation creep on the nanometre scale has been made on single-crystal indium, tungsten and gallium arsenide. We use the force modulation technique which gives a direct measure of contact stiffness and, being insensitive to thermal drift, allows the accurate observation of creep in small indents to be carried out over long time periods: We show that strain rate indices similar to those for macroscopic creep can be obtained for indium. Stress relaxation negative creep is also observed in a manner similar to macroscopic tests. Indentation of tungsten and gallium arsenide shows a distinct pop-in at a critical load, before which the deformation is essentially elastic and after which it is elastoplastic with significant dislocation multiplication. The creep behaviour is quite different before and after pop-in, clearly demonstrating the role of mobile dislocations in creep, even in nanometre-sized volumes of materials.

Extramedullary myeloma, defined by presence of plasma cells outside the bone marrow, is a rare entity accounting for about 3–9% of all cases. It usually is aggressive with a median survival of <6 months. It is also associated with adverse prognostic factors including 17p deletions and high-risk gene profiles. While common extramedullary sites include bones, there have been several case reports of hematogenous extramedullary myeloma to the liver, lungs, pancreas, breast, skin, and soft tissues. Extramedullary myeloma to the mesentery is a rare entity with only a handful of cases reported. We present a case of 69-year-old man presenting with relapse of multiple myeloma to the mesentery, resulting in bowel obstruction to highlight the various presentations of myeloma.