Rice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis, is a common and major serious pest of rice, maize, and wheat crops across Asia, Europe, and Oceania countries. Its sex pheromone consists of three analogously compounds, i.e., (Z)-hexadec-11-enal (1), (Z)-octadec-13-enal (2), and (Z)-hexadec-9-enal (3), as long-chain aliphatic internal cis-alkenyl aldehydes. In order to perform an economic and widespread pest control management of rice stem borer, a versatile and efficient synthetic strategy is required. A versatile and efficient synthesis using a common synthetic route for cis-alkenals with high overall yields is described. Commercially available inexpensive aliphatic diols were chosen as starting materials. Two key steps were employed to synthesize the long-chain aliphatic internal cis-alkenes in excellent yields, including the alkylation of terminal alkynes without the utilization of a highly polar aprotic cosolvent and the versatile cis-selective semihydrogenation for the reduction of internal alkynes with excellent stereoselectivity. The results of field tests showed that the synthetic sex pheromone blend was highly effective for the capture of rice stem borer.

The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out: “Give priority to the development of education, accelerate the construction of high-quality universities and disciplines, and realize the connotative development of higher education.” Against the backdrop of the “new engineering” construction in universities, new requirements have been put forward for local universities regarding the construction of academic disciplines. This paper aims to follow the laws of higher education development, according to the needs of national and local economic construction, scientific and technological progress, and social development, to study the ideas for constructing first-class majors at local universities, talent training models, problems and difficulties faced during the construction process, and to promote the connotative development of majors at local universities. It provides references for the construction of first-class majors at other local universities.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play a pivotal role in establishing a tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment (TIME) by inducing a phenotypic shift in macrophage from the pro-inflammatory M1 to the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. This polarization facilitates tumor growth, progression, metastasis, immune evasion, and chemoresistance. Consequently, reprogramming the TIME by repolarizing TAMs has emerged as a promising approach in cancer therapy. In this study, we synthesized core-shell structured nanoparticles (UCNPs@CB-Zol-Pt) utilizing host-guest interactions between NaYF ₄ :Yb/Er (UCNPs) and cucurbit[7]uril (CB). These nanoparticles were designed to polarize M2-like macrophages into M1-like macrophages and release tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), thereby potentially inducing the release of immunogenic cell death (ICD). Furthermore, the M1-type macrophages could ingest, process, and present TAAs generated from platinum-based chemotherapy through MHC class II molecules. This process simultaneously enhances the infiltration of helper and effector T cells into the TIME, thereby potentiating the efficacy of checkpoint blockade immunotherapy.

Plant-derived polysaccharides are valuable bioactive macromolecules. However, conventional hot-water extraction is often inefficient and may compromise biological activity. In this study, an ultrasound-assisted extraction combined with gradient ethanol precipitation was developed to efficiently extract and fractionate polysaccharides from Sargassum fusiforme (SFPS) and to elucidate structure-activity relationships. Ultrasonication significantly enhanced polysaccharide yield (6.25 ± 0.03%) and multiple biological activities. Response surface method (RSM) was used to improve extraction parameters to identify ultrasonic temperature, ultrasonic time, ultrasonic power, and liquid-solid ratio as key variables. Under optimal conditions (93.51 °C, 1.85 h, 354.79 W, and 33.64 mL/g), the SFPS yield reached 6.60 ± 0.02%. Four fractions (SFPS-20, SFPS-40, SFPS-60, and SFPS-80) were obtained by gradient ethanol precipitation and systematically characterized. Their molecular weights ranged from 337.178 to 130.295 kDa, with marked differences in total sugar, uronic acid, sulfate content, and monosaccharide composition. High-molecular-weight fractions were enriched in acidic sugars, whereas low-molecular-weight fractions contained higher proportions of neutral sugars. FT-IR and SEM analyses revealed distinct functional groups and microstructures among fractions. Bioactivity assessments showed that SFPS-80 had the most significant antioxidant and hypoglycemic effects, while SFPS-60 and SFPS-80 displayed pronounced hypolipidemic effects. SFPS-60 and sulfated SFPS-20 demonstrated notable anti-tumor activity. Correlation analysis combined with entropy-weight normalization identified SFPS-60 as the fraction with the highest comprehensive bioactivity. Structural analysis revealed a →3)-α-L-Fucp-(1→ backbone with 2-O-sulfated side chains. These results demonstrate that ultrasound-assisted extraction enables precise modulation of SFPS structure and bioactivity, providing a promising strategy for producing targeted bioactive polysaccharides.