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Classical Vehicle Routing Problems (VRP) involve the supply of goods/services from a central depot to geographically scattered customers. Besides the classical objective of minimizing the total traveled distance, the present work also considers simultaneous optimization of two additional objectives namely minimizing makespan and minimizing distance imbalance. A mathematical model has been developed to deal with this multiobjective version of VRP (MO-VRPTW). A meta-heuristic based on multiple ant colony systems for solving this MO-VRPTW has also been proposed. Fire fly optimization Algorithm (FA) has also been applied to avoid local optima. Two new migration operators named Migration-I and Migration-II and multi-pheromone matrices have been developed to further improve the solution quality. The proposed algorithm has been tested on a number of benchmark problems and its superiority over other state-of-the-art approaches and Non Dominated Sorting Algorithm-II (NSGA-II) is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The hemagglutinin type 1 and neuraminidase type 1 (H1N1) virus known as swine flu virus resulted from a triple genetic re-assortment of human, avian and swine influenza viruses. It can lead to mild flu to life-threatening pneumonia, bronchitis, acute respiratory distress syndrome and even death. Aim of this study is to assess clinical profile and outcome of patients infected with H1N1 Virus. Material and Methods: This retrospective study was performed at Maharaja Agarsen Medical College, Agroha from December 2018- Feburary 2019. Data of all the patients including clinical history and relevant investigations was collected from Indoor Files. Samples of suspected patients were collected and tested for real time PCR. Results: Out of 69 suspected patients, samples tested for RTPCR 32 (46.4%) cases were identified as positive for H1N1. Overall swine positivity was higher in females than males. Fever was the most common clinical symptom affecting 31(96.8%) patients followed by cough 28 (87.5%) and breathlessness 17(65.6%). Of all the positive patients, 23 (71.9%) patients survived the disease while 6 (18.8%) patients expired. Conclusion: Fever, cough and breathlessness were the common presenting symptoms of swine flu. Early diagnosis and prompt initiation of treatment is the only way to reduce the disease progression and mortality. Patients with comorbid conditions require attention as clinical course can be unpredictable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional knowledge guides the use of plants for restricted therapeutic indications, but their pharmacological actions may be found beyond their ethnic therapeutic indications employing emerging computational tools. In this context, the present study was envisaged to explore the novel pharmacological effect of Achyranthes aspera (A. aspera) using PASS and PharmaExpert software tools. Based on the predicted mechanisms of the antidepressant effect for all analysed phytoconstituents of A. aspera, one may suggest its significant antidepressant action. The possible mechanism of this novel pharmacological effect is the enhancement of serotonin release, in particular caused by hexatriacontane. Therefore, pharmacological validation of the methanolic extract, hexatriacontane rich (HRF) and hexatriacontane lacking fraction (HLF) of A. aspera was carried out using the Forced Swimming Test and Tail suspension test in mice. The cortical and hippocampal monoamine and their metabolite levels were measured using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A. aspera methanolic extract, HRF treatments showed a significant antidepressant effect comparable to imipramine. Further, the corresponding surge in cortical and hippocampal monoamine and their metabolite levels was also observed with these treatments. In conclusion, A. aspera has shown a significant antidepressant effect, possibly due to hexatriacontane, by raising monoamine levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Developing countries are experiencing an epidemic of physical inactivity. However, only a few studies have focused on domains and pattern of physical activity (PA) among adolescents. Objective: This study attempts to find out the region specific environmental and social determinants of PA in 10 to 19-year age group. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in the government and private schools of district Ambala, Haryana, situated in North India over a period of 1 year (2013-2014). A stratified random sampling technique was used for a sample size of 1714 participants. PA was assessed using an interviewer-administered youth PA questionnaire which prompts volunteers to self-report on the mode, frequency, and duration of PA and sedentary activities in different domains, including school time and leisure time over the past 7 days. Results: The average duration of screen time per day was reported significantly higher among female as compared to male adolescents; however, it was more than 2 h among both the genders. The average total moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) duration consistently remained less than 60 min/day and metabolic equivalent of task minutes decreased significantly (P = 0.00) with an increasing age after 12 years. Being overweight and obese had 30% less chance of carrying out MVPA as compared to those with body mass index (BMI) <85th percentile [odds ratio; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.70; 0.59-0.82]. Conclusion: The current study reported an overall higher duration of sedentary activity as compared to MVPA among adolescents of North India. PA was mostly associated with environmental factors and inactivity was most associated with sociodemographic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]