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A new compound 2-(4-((2-butyl-5-nitro-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-1-yl)methyl)-1H-indol-1-yl) benzamide (1) was designed, synthesized and evaluated as a novel AT1receptor antagonist. Compound1displayed high affinity to AT1receptor with an IC50value of 1.65 ± 0.2 nM in radio-ligand binding assays. It had an efficient and long-lasting effect in reducing blood pressure which could last for more than 12 h at the dose of 10 mg/kg in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Acute toxicity tests suggested that compound1was safe with the LD50value of 2519.81 mg/kg. Besides,in vitroandin vivotests suggested its anti-proliferative and anti-tumor activities, respectively. So compound1could be considered as a novel anti-hypertension, anti-tumor candidate and deserved further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic pricing enables a firm to increase revenue by better matching supply with demand, responding to shifting demand patterns, and achieving customer segmentation. In the last 20 years, numerous success stories of dynamic pricing applications have motivated a rapidly growing research interest in a variety of dynamic pricing problems in the academic literature. A large class of problems that arise in various revenue management applications involve selling a given amount of inventory over a finite time horizon without inventory replenishment. In this study, we identify most recent trends in dynamic pricing research involving such problems. We review existing research on three new classes of problems that have attracted a rapidly growing interest in the last several years, namely, problems with multiple products, problems with competition, and problems with limited demand information. We also identify a number of possible directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies a markdown optimization problem commonly faced by many large retailers that involves joint decisions on inventory allocation and markdown pricing at multiple stores subject to various business rules. At the beginning of the markdown planning horizon, there is a certain amount of inventory of a product at a warehouse that needs to be allocated to many retail stores served by the warehouse over the planning horizon. In the same time, a markdown pricing scheme needs to be determined for each store over the planning horizon. A number of business rules for inventory allocation and markdown prices at the stores must be satisfied. The retailer does not have a complete knowledge about the probability distribution of the demand at a given store in a given time period. The retailer’s knowledge about the demand distributions improves over time as new information becomes available. Hence, the retailer employs a rolling horizon approach where the problem is re-solved at the beginning of each period by incorporating the latest demand information. It is shown that the problem involved at the beginning of each period is NP-hard even if the demand functions are deterministic and there is only a single store or a single time period. Thus, attention is focused on heuristic solution approaches. The stochastic demand is modeled using discrete demand scenarios based on the retailer’s latest knowledge about the demand distributions. This enables possible demand correlations to be modeled across different time periods. The problem involved at the beginning of each period is formulated as a mixed-integer program with demand scenarios and it is solved using a Lagrangian relaxation – based decomposition approach. The approach is implimented on a rolling horizon basis and it is compared with several commonly used benchmark approaches in practice. An extensive set of computational experiments is perfomed under various practical situations, and it is demonstrated that the proposed approach significantly outperforms the benchmark approaches. A number of managerial insights are derived about the impact of business rules and price sensitivity of individual stores on the total expected revenue and on the optimal inventory allocation and pricing decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Asymmetrically substituted neutral or charged in and Zn phthalocyanines (Pcs) are linked to B doped detonation nanodiamonds (DNDs). • The highest triplet and singlet oxygen quantum yields were observed for cationic and asymmetrically substituted. • The presence of B@DNDs, asymmetry and positive charge on the Pc resulted in improved photodynamic therapy activity. The synthesis, photophysicochemical and photodynamic therapy (PDT) activities of benzothiazole substituted zinc phthalocyanine (Pc): 1 (asymmetrically substituted and composed of no charges), 2 (asymmetrically substituted and composed of three positive charges), and 3 (symmetrically substituted and composed of four positive charges), are presented. The triplet and singlet oxygen quantum yields were highest for complex 2 showing the importance of asymmetry and charge. The complexes are covalently and non-covalently linked to B doped detonation nanodiamonds (B@DNDs) to yield nanohybrids (B@DNDs- 1 , B@DNDs- 2, B@DNDs- 3). The presence of B@DNDs, asymmetry and positive charge resulted in improved PDT with the lowest cell viability being observed for B@DNDs- 2 at 5%. The cell viability ranged from 5% to 7% for the nanohybrids compared to 19–26% for Pcs alone. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is used for the treatment of cancer. • Incorporation of polymer dots into pyropheophorbide-a (PPa) improves the laser induced effects of PPa. • The conjugated drug inherits the pH sensitivity of polymer dots. • The nano-dugs synthesized through different methods possess good biocompatibility and low toxicity. A green emission up-conversion carbon-based polymer dots (CPDs) owned excellent photophysical properties and good solubility. Most photosensitizers (PS) are hydrophobic which limits their application in biomedicine. Herein we synthesized and integrated green emitting CPDs into pyropheophorbide-α (PPa) to improve the overall properties of the PS. The nano-agent was incorporated through amide condensation and electrostatic interaction. The structure, size and morphology of the prepared conjugates were determined by FTIR, TEM, DLS, TGA, 1HNMR, Uv-vis, and fluorescence spectrophotometry. The dark and light toxicity, as well as cellular uptake, was also monitored on the human esophageal cancer cell line (Eca-109). Our results illustrate that the conjugation improved the PDT efficacy by increasing the ROS generation. The nano-hybrids showed pH sensitivity as well as good hemocompatibility as the hemolysis ratio was decreased when treated with nano-conjugates. PPa-CPD1 and PPa-CPD2 had the pH response and stronger ability to absorb light and produce fluorescence in an acidic environment (pH 4.0 and pH 5.0) The synthesized nano-hybrids doesnot affect the clotting time. An increase in the absorbance wavelengths was observed. The results of MTT assay showed that dark toxicity was reduced after conjugation. This CPDs-based drug enhanced tumor-inhibition efficiency as well as low dark toxicity in vitro, showing significant application potential for PDT-based treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising new treatment for cancer that has been recently accepted clinically. PDT is based on the administration of tumor-localizing photosensitizers (PSs), followed by exposing the neoplastic area to the light absorbed by the PS. In this article, a novel anticancer nanofiber membrane containing purpurin-18 (0.1%) was successfully prepared. The thickness of membrane was 0.028 mm, and the average fiber diameter was around 357 nm by scanning electron microscope (SEM). It was indicated that purpurin-18 possessed excellent compatibility with PLLA from FTIR spectrum. The physical properties of fiber membrane were also characterized by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Cell morphology and the interaction between cells and nanofibers were studied by SEM. The results showed that both SMMC 7721 and ECA109 cells can adhere and spread on the surface of the polymer nanofiber, and both cells can interact and integrate well with the surrounding fibers. The efficacy of PDT was determined by MTT assays. The results showed that the cells were killed immediately after PDT and purpurin-18 had no different efficacy to different cancer cell lines. In summary, the PS-loaded PLLA nanofibers were prepared successfully, and the SMMC 7721 and ECA109 cells could be inhibited and killed through photodynamic therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a sort of cord-type haptic interaction device, and presents two methods to analyze its haptic workspace restricted by the maximum tension of strings. By using the proposed methods, multi-level haptic workspaces of the 3-DOF haptic device were drawn. The results show that the higher level of the haptic device the smaller volume of the workspace. For the devices with same level, the workspace volume is directly proportional to the pull or distance of the motors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to synthesize of magnetic SiO2 nanoparticles (MSNPs) loaded with Naproxen (NAP-MSNPs) for targeting anti-flammatory therapy. The Fe3O4 nanoparticles were coated with a thin layer of silica by stöber method and the drug was encapsulated in it simultaneously. The optimal conditions were investigated for the synthesis of MSNPs. The shape, size, and phase structure of NAP - MSNP were characterized by transmission electron micrographs (TEM) and X - ray diffraction (XRD). The drug encapsulation efficiency was confirmed by FT - IR and measured by UV spectrometry. The NAP - MSNPs show the response at the external magnetic field and the drug could be released readily from NAP - MSNPs. All of these facts suggest the NAP - MSNPs could be applied in a promising drug release-controlling system for targeting anti-inflammatory therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel magnetic nanocarrier was strategically designed and successfully prepared. Phot0sensitizer 2, 7, 12, 18 - tetramethyl - 3, 8 - di -(1 - propoxyethyl)- 13, 17 - bis - (3 - hydroxypropyl) porphyrin (PHPP) was encapsulated into polylactic acid (PLA)- coated Fe304 nanoparticles. The diameter of nanocarrier is 30 - 50 nm by transmission electron micrograph (TEM). The encapsulation efficiency of photosensitizer is 27.98% calculated from UV - vis absorption spectra. The nanocarrier shows obvious photocytotoxic activity to Hela299 tumor cells in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many applications involving make-to-order or time-sensitive (e.g., perishable, seasonal) products, finished orders are often delivered to customers immediately or shortly after the production. Consequently, there is little or no finished product inventory in the supply chain such that production and outbound distribution are very intimately linked and must be scheduled jointly to achieve a desired on-time delivery performance at minimum total cost. Research on integrated scheduling models of production and outbound distribution is relatively recent but is growing very rapidly. In this paper, we provide a survey of such existing models. We present a unified model representation scheme, classify existing models into several different classes, and for each class of the models give an overview of the optimality properties, computational tractability, and solution algorithms for the various problems studied in the literature. We clarify the tractability of some open problems left in the literature and some new problems by providing intractability proofs or polynomial-time exact algorithms. We also identify several problem areas and issues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Formulated the P2P ridesharing problem as a set packing problem using route-based variables. • Designed an efficient graph-based approach to generate all necessary vehicle routes in the formulation. • Developed a column generation based heuristic approach for the large-scale static P2P ridesharing problem. • The proposed exact algorithm solves very large problem instances (e.g., with 600 drivers and 1800 riders). • The dynamic dispatching policies can generate near-optimal solutions for the dynamic problem in real time. Both for-profit and nonprofit peer-to-peer (P2P) ridesharing services have gained enormous popularity in recent years due to their advantages over solo driving and public transit. We study the rideshare matching and routing problem in a nonprofit P2P ridesharing system consisting of a matching agency, drivers and riders. The matching agency is a government or a not-for-profit organization and its objective is to maximize the societal benefits of ridesharing. The drivers involved are commuters and hence have their own travel plans, which are executed regardless of whether riders are matched with them. We consider both static and dynamic versions of the nonprofit P2P ridesharing problem. Existing modeling and solution approaches for similar P2P ridesharing problems can only solve relatively small problem instances optimally. We propose an exact solution algorithm for the static version of the problem by taking advantage of its special characteristics. This exact solution approach formulates and solves the problem as a set packing formulation using route-based variables, and uses an efficient graph-based approach to generate all necessary vehicle routes in the formulation quickly. We also develop a column generation (CG) based heuristic approach for the static problem. Finally, we propose two dynamic dispatching policies for the dynamic version of the problem. Our proposed exact algorithm solves very large problem instances (e.g., with 600 drivers and 1800 riders) of the static problem and our CG based heuristic can find near-optimal solutions for even larger instances of the static problem in short computation time. Our dynamic dispatching policies can generate near-optimal solutions for the dynamic problem in real-time fashion. We also generate some important insights based on some taxi trip data in Washington DC. First, P2P ridesharing can bring significant cost-saving, especially when the participants have a relatively flexible schedule. For every 10% increase in schedule flexibility, there is an about 4% to 7% increase in cost-saving. Second, the cost-saving due to ridesharing increases with the vehicle capacity, but this increase slows down quickly when the vehicle capacity reaches 4. Third, ridesharing generates more cost savings during peak hours and in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A pickup and delivery problem of automobiles is studied involving both truck loading and routing decisions. • The problem is to balance the service level and the total cost of 3PL companies based on the real operations in China. • A downward compatible capacity structure is considered as a constraint for loading automobiles to heterogeneous trucks. • A column generation based heuristic algorithm is developed and evaluated based on random data and real data, respectively. • The proposed algorithm is capable of generating near-optimal solutions in a reasonable amount of time. Abstract This paper considers a truck loading and routing problem in automobile outbound logistics. Everyday, a third-party logistics (3PL) company receives a number of orders from several auto manufacturers and needs to assign the orders to available trucks which pick up the orders from the warehouses where the orders are kept and deliver them to dealers. Each order corresponds to a specific car required by a given dealer and is associated with a value and one of the three car types, small, medium or large. The value of an order is defined by whether it is an emergency order and how many days it has been waiting to be assigned to a truck. Each delivery truck is allowed to visit a pre-specified subset of cities, and is associated with a specific capacity configuration, which specifies the number of slots available for each of the three car types. The problem is to assign a subset of the orders to available trucks and create a route for each truck to maximize the total reward of the assigned orders, defined as a given weight times the total value of the assigned orders minus the total transportation cost incurred, subject to a number of constraints. A column generation based heuristic algorithm is developed where the LP relaxation of the problem is decomposed into a master problem solved by a LP solver and a number of subproblems solved by a dynamic programming based algorithm. The proposed algorithm is evaluated by comparing its solutions to upper bounds and shown to be capable of generating near-optimal solutions for practically sized problems in reasonable computational time. The algorithm is also compared to a rule-based greedy method used in practice based on real data sets from a 3PL company and shown to outperform the greedy method by a large margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of ideal photosensitizers (PSs) is considered to be the most significant bottleneck in photodynamic therapy (PDT). To discover novel PSs with excellent photodynamic anti-tumor activities, a series of novel photosensitizers 5,15-diaryl-10,20-dibromoporphyrins (I1–6) were synthesized by a facile method. Compared with hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME) as the representative porphyrin-based photosensitizers, it is found that not only the longest absorption wavelength of all compounds was red-shifted to therapeutic window (660 nm) of photodynamic therapy, but also the singlet oxygen quantum yields were significantly increased. Furthermore, all compounds exhibited lower dark toxicity (except I2) and stronger phototoxicity (except I4) against Eca-109 tumor cells than HMME. Among them, I3 possessed the highest singlet oxygen quantum yield (ΦΔ = 0.205), the lower dark toxicity and the strongest phototoxicity (IC50 = 3.5 μM) in vitro. The findings indicated the compounds I3 had the potential to become anti-tumor agents for PDT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Poor antidiabetic medication adherence remains a great barrier to effective diabetes self-management among aging adults. This study investigates the mediation and moderation effects of self-efficacy on the relationship between medication beliefs and adherence in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated a sample of 309 hospitalized elderly patients who completed the assessment of medication beliefs, self-efficacy for medication uses and medication adherence in a tertiary hospital in Shanghai, China. A bootstrapping sampling method and hierarchical moderator regression analysis were used to verify the hypothesis of mediation and moderation effects of self-efficacy on the relationship between medication beliefs and adherence. Results: Self-efficacy for medication use acted as a moderator (B=− 0.063, t=− 2.215, p=0.028) and partial mediator (CItotal effect=4.5– 16.63, p=0.001; CIindirect=1.524– 5.323, p=0.014; CIdirect=2.151– 11.817, p=0.001) on the relationship between general harm medication beliefs and medication adherence. Participants with lower general harm medication beliefs may develop higher self-efficacy, which, in turn, results in a higher level of medication adherence, and higher self-efficacy may attenuate the negative effect of high general harm medication beliefs on medication adherence. Conclusion: Self-efficacy for medication use not only mediated the relationship between general harm beliefs about medication and medication adherence, but moderated it negatively. The findings of this study indicate an opportunity to improve the prognosis of elderly Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes through improved medication adherence by strengthening factors such as self-efficacy for appropriate medication use and general harm beliefs about medication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of new photosensitizers with strong absorption near-infrared region, obvious fluorescence emission, and high reactive oxygen generation ability has attracted great attention as optical agents in life science and material industry. Herein a series of meso -tetraaryltetranaphtho[2,3]porphyrins (Ar 4 TNPs) with different substitutions were designed and synthesized. They had strong absorptions at ∼730 nm and fluorescence emission at ∼760 nm after excitation with ∼503 nm light. All compounds possessed excellent reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation ability. The singlet oxygen generation rate of compound 10m (meso -5,10,15,20-tetra[2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethylbenzoate]tetrana-phthoporphyrin) is 0.1898 s−1 with a Φ △ value of 0.73, which is significantly higher than that of verteporfin. Therefore, Ar 4 TNPs have great potential as an effective optical material, bio-tracker, and photodynamic drug candidate. [Display omitted] • A series of novel Ar 4 TNPs derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated. • They exhibited NIR absorptions (∼730 nm) and high molar extinction coefficients. • They displayed good singlet oxygen generation, and compound 10m had the most outstanding ROS production capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a promising anti-tumor method, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has garnered increased interest over the past decades. Since the efficacy of PDT relies on the properties of photosensitizers, tremendous efforts have been exerted in the quest for novel photoactive agents with long wavelength absorbance and high phototoxicity. In this investigation, a series of five tetrapyrrole derivatives were newly synthesized and evaluated. They all manifested sharp UV–vis absorption peak at ∼680 nm, high molar extinction coefficient (>74200 L mol−1 cm−1), impressive reactive oxygen species generation abilities and obvious photo-damage on cancer in vitro and in vivo. Among them, I4 displayed the most excellent singlet oxygen generation slope (K = 0.0531 s−1, Φ Δ = 0.87), the strongest anti-proliferation effects towards human esophageal cancer cell line Eca-109 in vitro , and more remarkable tumor inhibition rates (90.2 %) than m -THPC in vivo. Subcellular localization experiments demonstrated that I4 could distribute in mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and lysosomes. Hence, compound I4 could be viewed as a potential photosensitizer drug for further studies in PDT. [Display omitted] • A series of conjugated tetrapyrrole photosensitizers I1 - I5 were successfully designed and synthesized. • Compound I4 exhibited long wavelength absorption at 686 nm and showed NIR emission peak at 696 nm. • Heavy atom promoted the ISC efficiency with singlet oxygen quantum yield value of I4 up to 0.87. • Based on in vitro and in vivo experiments , I1 - I5 showed obvious anti-tumor effects and I4 was the most outstanding one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A series of 5,15-diaryltetrabenzoporphyrins were designed and synthesized. • They exhibited the maximum absorption wavelength at ∼668 nm. • Compound I 2 and I 3 exhibited high phototoxicity in vitro and induced cell apoptosis. • An obvious photodynamic antitumor activity in vivo was achieved by I 3 mediated PDT. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a well-established treatment modality, typically conducted with single-wavelength irradiation, which may not always be optimal for varying tumor locations and sizes. To address this, photosensitizers with absorption wavelengths ranging from 550 to 760 nm are being explored. Herein, a series of 5,15-diaryltetrabenzoporphyrins (Ar 2 TBPs) were synthesized. All compounds displayed obvious absorption at 550–700 nm (especially at ∼668 nm), intense fluorescence, efficient generation of singlet oxygen and good photodynamic antitumor effects. Notably, compound I 3 (5,15-bis[(4-carboxymethoxy)phenyl]tetrabenzoporphyrin) showed excellent cytotoxicity against Eca-109 cell line upon red light irradiation, with an IC 50 value of 0.45 μM, and phototherapeutic index of 25.8. Flow cytometry revealed that I 3 could induce distinct cell apoptosis. In vivo studies revealed that compound I 3 selectively accumulated at tumor site and exhibited outstanding PDT effect with antitumor activity under single-time administration and light irradiation, and revealed more efficiency than the clinical photosensitizer Verteporfin. These findings underscore the considerable promise of I 3 as a robust theranostic agent, offering capabilities in real-time fluorescence imaging and serving as a potent photosensitizer for personalized and precise photodynamic therapy of tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A series of new A 3 B-type meso -tetraphenyltetrabenzoporphyrins were synthesized, and exhibited an intense Soret band at ∼ 470 nm, and three Q bands at ∼ 595, ∼ 648, and ∼ 701 nm. • Compound 5 could induce cell apoptosis after laser irradiation, and display superior photodynamic activity towards Eca-109 cells in vivo. • Inflammation and nuclear shrinkage of tumors were observed in 5-PDT group, while no obvious changes were presented in major organs of mice with hematoxylin-eosin staining. A series of A 3 B-type meso -tetraphenyltetrabenzoporphyrin photosensitizers were designed, synthesized and evaluated. All new compounds exhibited an intense Soret band at ∼ 470 nm and three Q bands at ∼ 595, ∼ 648, and ∼ 701 nm. They all had the ability to produce singlet oxygen upon photoexcitation, and photodynamic activities towards human esophageal carcinoma (Eca-109) cancer cells in vitro. Among them, 5 displayed the excellent cytotoxic effect on Eca-109 cells with the cell viability of ∼30 % at the concentration of 0.5 μM under a light dose of 12 J/cm2. 5 also could induce cell apoptosis after laser irradiation, and display superior photodynamic activity towards Eca-109 cells in vivo. Notably, inflammation and nuclear shrinkage of tumors were observed in the 5-PDT group, while no obvious changes were presented in major organs (heart, kidney liver, lung, and spleen) of mice, and the weight of mice were increased steadily during the treatment period. Hence, compound 5 possesses high photodynamic efficacy and good biosafety, and deserves to be considered as a potential photodynamic drug candidate for cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new 5,15-diarylporphyrin derivatives (L1 and L2) were designed and synthesized and their anti-esophageal cancer effects as photosensitizers were evaluated. Both compounds have strong absorption band at 645 – 655 nm in UV-Vis spectra, obvious singlet oxygen generation ability, and fluorescence emission around 657 – 674 nm under laser excitation. Under photodynamic therapy (PDT) conditions, they could significantly inhibit the growth of Eca-109 tumor cells. In particular, compound L1 exhibited excellent photodynamic antiproliferative effect and is worthy of further development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Esophageal cancer is the most common gastrointestinal tumor and is difficult to be eradicated with conventional treatment. Porphyrin-based photosensitizers (PSs) mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) could kill tumor cells with less damage to normal cells. As the most widely used porphyrin-based photosensitizer in clinics, Photofrin II has excellent anti-tumor effect. However, it has some disadvantages such as weak absorption at near infrared region, the complexity of components and prolonged skin photosensitivity. Here series novel 5,15-diaryl-10,20-dihalogeno porphyrin derivatives were afforded and evaluated to develop more effective and safer photosensitizers for tumor therapy. Methods: The photophysical properties and singlet oxygen generation rates of 5,15-diaryl-10,20-dihalogeno porphyrins (I1-6, II1-4) were tested. The cytotoxicity of I1-6 and II1-4 were measured by MTT assay. The pathway of cell death was studied by flow cytometry. In vivo photodynamic efficacy of I3 and II2-4 in Eca-109 tumor-bearing BABL/c nude mice were measured and histopathological analysis were examined. Results: 5,15-Diaryl-10,20-dihalogeno porphyrins I1-6 and II1-4 were synthesized. The longest absorption wavelength of these halogenated porphyrins (λmax = 660 nm) displayed a red shift around 30 nm compared to the unhalogenated porphyrins PS1 (λmax = 630 nm). The singlet oxygen generation rates of I1-6 and II1-4 were significantly higher than PS1 and HMME. All PSs mediated PDT showed obvious cytotoxic effect against Eca-109 cells compared to HMME in vitro and in vivo. Among these PSs, II4 exhibited appropriate absorption in the phototherapeutic window, higher 1O2 generation rate (k = 0.0061 s−1), the strongest phototoxicity (IC50 = 0.4 μM), lower dark toxicity, high generation of intracellular ROS in Eca-109 cells and excellent photodynamic anti-tumor efficacy in vivo. Besides, cell necrosis was induced by compound II4 mediated PDT. Conclusion: All new compounds have obvious photodynamic anti-esophageal cancer effects. Among them, the photosensitizer II4 showed excellent efficacy in vitro and in vivo, which has the potential to become a photodynamic anti-tumor drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In quest for new photosensitizers (PSs) with remarkable antitumor photodynamic efficacy, a series of fifteen quaternary ammonium (QA) cations conjugated 5,15-diaryltetranaphtho[2,3]porphyrins (Ar 2 TNPs) was synthesized and evaluated in vitro and in vivo to understand how variations in the length of the alkoxy group and the kind of QA cations on meso -phenyl influence the photodynamic antitumor activity. All final compounds (I 1-5 , II 1-5, and III 1-5) exhibited robust absorption at 729 nm with significant bathochromic shift and high molar extinction coefficients (1.16 × 105-1.41 × 105 M−1 cm−1), as well as other absorptions at 445, 475, 651, and 714 nm for tumors and other diseases of diverse sizes and depths. Upon exposure to 474 nm light, they displayed intense fluorescence emission with fluorescence quantum yields ranging from 0.32 to 0.43. The ability to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) was also quantified, attaining a maximum rate of up to 0.0961 s−1. The IC 50 values of all the compounds regarding phototoxicity and dark toxicity were determined using KYSE-150 cells, and the phototoxicity indices were calculated. Among these compounds, III 1 demonstrated the highest phototoxic index with minimal dark toxicity, and suppressed successfully the growth of esophageal carcinoma xenograft with favorable tolerance in vivo. Furthermore, the histological results showed III 1 - mediated PDT had a significant cytotoxic effect on the tumor. These outcomes underscore the potential of III 1 as a highly effective antitumor photosensitizer drug in photodynamic therapy (PDT). [Display omitted] • Cationic 5,15-diaryltetranaphtho[2,3]porphyrins were designed and synthesized. • They exhibited strong bathochromic-shifted absorptions and fluorescence emissions. • Compound III1 showed significant photodynamic antitumor effects in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Presents the first survey of the academic literature on the automobile distribution problem. • Classifies optimization problems by the level and type of decisions as well as transportation mode. • Critiques 35 selected optimization studies from multiple aspects ranging from formulation to test instances. • Identifies promising research directions to minimize the gap between industrial practice and research. • Evaluates potential impacts of emerging technologies including automated vehicles and machine learning. In this survey paper, we critique the optimization studies on the distribution of finished vehicles from automobile manufacturers to dealers in the past three decades and propose promising prospective research to minimize the gap between industrial practice and academic research. First, we identify major decision makers involved in automobile distribution, summarize service models, and briefly describe the automobile shipping practice by transportation mode. After defining the automobile shipping optimization problem at the operational level, we present the automobile distribution problem taxonomy by classifying existing studies by the level of decision making, mode of transportation, and type of optimization decisions. Each subcategory of studies is reviewed in detail through comparisons by objective function, constraints, formulation, solution algorithm, and test instances. We conclude this survey paper by summarizing major review outcomes and proposing potential research directions. This survey will stimulate interested transportation researchers to conduct further research to keep pace with the rapid evolution of the automobile shipping practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon based polymer dots have piqued attention of researchers because of excellent biocompatibility, and good solubility. Most of the p-dots are able to generate ROS which is effective for photodynamic therapy for the treatment of cancer while some photosensitizers such as porphyrins possess some drawbacks such as hydrophobicity, and dark toxicity. Therefore in this study we conjugated red emission carbon based polymer with pyropheophorbide-α through amide condensation and π–π stacking. One pot synthesis of the conjugate was successfully achieved. Their photophysiological properties were studied and structures were characterized by FT-IR, TEM and 1HNMR. pH- sensitivity of the conjugates was confirmed using fluorescence and UV–vis spectroscopy. Photo toxicity and dark toxicity of the prepared conjugates were evaluated in human esophageal cancer cell line (Eca-109). Hemocompatibility of the synthesized conjugates was evaluated and proved that the conjugates are safe to use for the treatment of tumor. Our results showed the PS doped p-dots had less dark toxicity and increased light toxicity as well as ROS generation was high as compared to precursor drug. Therefore, incorporation of p-dots to porphyrin improved biocompatibility and enhanced the photodynamic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A series of novel thieno[3,2–b]thiophene-fused BODIPY derivatives with water-soluble groups were designed, synthesized and evaluated. • These compounds exhibited NIR absorptions (∼660 nm) and high molar extinction coefficients (0.73 × 105-1.42 × 105 M−1·cm−1). • These compounds possessed good singlet oxygen generation and photodynamic anti Eca-109 cancer cells abilities. • Compound II 4 could be well uptaked by Eca-109 cells, and showed much better photodynamic efficiency both in vitro and in vivo than Temoporfin. To discover new photosensitizers with long wavelength UV–visible absorption, high efficiency, and low side effects for photodynamic therapy, here, a series of novel thieno[3,2–b]thiophene-fused BODIPY derivatives were designed, synthesized and characterized. These compounds had a distinct absorption band at 640–680 nm, fluorescence emission at 650–760 nm, and good solubility with anti-aggregation effects. These new compounds possessed obvious singlet oxygen generation ability and photodynamic anti-Eca-109 cancer cells activities in vitro. Among them, compound II 4 could be well uptaked by Eca-109 cells, and result in the apoptosis after laser irradiation, and have outstanding photodynamic efficiency both in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, II 4 could be considered as a potential photosensitizer drug candidate for PDT and photo-imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]