Peanut is an important oil crop worldwide and shows considerable adaptability but growth and yield are negatively affected by continuous cropping. Soil micro-organisms are efficient bio-indicators of soil quality and plant health and are critical to the sustainability of soil-based ecosystem function and to successful plant growth. In this study, 18S rRNA gene clone library analyses were employed to study the succession progress of soil eukaryotic micro-organisms under continuous peanut cultivation. Eight libraries were constructed for peanut over three continuous cropping cycles and its representative growth stages. Cluster analyses indicated that soil micro-eukaryotic assemblages obtained from the same peanut cropping cycle were similar, regardless of growth period. Six eukaryotic groups were found and fungi predominated in all libraries. The fungal populations showed significant dynamic change and overall diversity increased over time under continuous peanut cropping. The abundance and/or diversity of clones affiliated with Eurotiales, Hypocreales , Glomerales , Orbiliales, Mucorales and Tremellales showed an increasing trend with continuous cropping but clones affiliated with Agaricales , Cantharellales , Pezizales and Pyxidiophorales decreased in abundance and/or diversity over time. The current data, along with data from previous studies, demonstrated that the soil microbial community was affected by continuous cropping, in particular, the pathogenic and beneficial fungi that were positively selected over time, which is commonplace in agro-ecosystems. The trend towards an increase in fungal pathogens and simplification of the beneficial fungal community could be important factors contributing to the decline in peanut growth and yield over many years of continuous cropping.

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From the perspective of the effectiveness of internal control, this study analyzes the influence of internal control on innovation performance and internal control on corporate social responsibility (CSR), and then analyzes the intermediary effect of CSR between internal control and innovation performance. The results show that the improvement of the effectiveness of internal control has a significant promoting effect on innovation performance, and promotes enterprises to strengthen CSR performance. Meanwhile, CSR activities take a significant intermediary effect in the process of improving innovation performance through internal control. Finally, it is suggested that state-owned enterprises and non-state-owned enterprises should communicate and cooperate, strengthen the construction of internal control system, and improve innovation performance and CSR practices. Furthermore, the intermediary effect of CSR activities in the process of improving innovation performance through internal control should be brought into play, so as to return the expectations and demands of stakeholders.

Volvariella volvacea is an important crop in Southeast Asia, but erratic fruiting presents a serious challenge for its production and breeding. Efforts to explain inconsistent fruiting have been complicated by the multinucleate nature, typical lack of clamp connections, and an incompletely identified sexual reproductive system. In this study, we addressed the life cycle of V. volvacea using whole genome sequencing, cloning of MAT loci, karyotyping of spores, and fruiting assays. Microscopy analysis of spores had previously indicated the possible coexistence of heterothallic and homothallic life cycles. Our analysis of the MAT loci showed that only MAT-A, and not MAT-B, controlled heterokaryotization. Thus, the heterothallic life cycle was bipolar. Karyotyping of single spore isolates (SSIs) using molecular markers supported the existence of heterokaryotic spores. However, most SSIs were clearly not heterokaryotic, yet contained structural variation (SV) markers relating to both alleles of both parents. Heterokaryons from crossed, self-sterile homokaryons could produce fruiting bodies, agreeing with bipolar heterothallism. Meanwhile, some SSIs with two different MAT-A loci also produced fruiting bodies, which supported secondary homothallism. Next, SSIs that clearly contained only one MAT-A locus (homothallism) were also able to fruit, demonstrating that self-fertile SSIs were not, per definition, secondary homothallic, and that a third life cycle or genetic mechanism must exist. Finally, recombination between SV markers was normal, yet 10 out of 24 SV markers showed 1:2 or 1:3 distributions in the spores, and large numbers of SSIs contained doubled SV markers. This indicated selfish genes, and possibly partial aneuploidy.

Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima) is an important germplasm resource for the breeding of Castanea species worldwide with vital ecological and economic value. Biotechnology overcomes the limitations of traditional breeding and accelerates germplasm improvement. However, a genetic transformation system for Chinese chestnut has not yet been established. In this study, a stable and efficient Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation method for Chinese chestnut is described. Embryogenic calli of C. mollissima cv. 'Yanshanhongli' were used as the target material. The sensitivity of embryogenic calli to kanamycin was determined, whereby the proliferation of non-transformed calli was completely inhibited at 180 mg/L. Antibiotic inhibition results for Chinese chestnut embryogenic calli showed that 50 mg/L cefotaxime and 500 μM timentin completely inhibited the growth of Agrobacterium tumefaciens but did not affect the normal growth of Chinese chestnut embryogenic calli. When embryogenic calli were co-cultured for 2 days with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain AGL1 harboring the PBI121-EGFP plasmid, an embryogenic callus transformation efficiency of 4.55% was obtained, and two transgenic chimera were acquired. This Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system for Chinese chestnut provides a fundamental platform for genetic improvement of core germplasm and for further verification of gene function. Key messageA method of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation was established for Chinese chestnut, providing a basis for genetic improvement of core germplasm and an important platform for further verification of gene function in Chinese chestnut.

Based on the resource allocation optimization theory, from the perspective of internal control (IC) and financial mismatch jointly affecting technological innovation, this study selects the listed enterprises in China’s capital market from 2012 to 2020 as the sample, and explores the mechanism among IC, financial mismatch and technological innovation. The results show that effective IC significantly promotes corporate innovation, and mitigates financial mismatch. The mitigation of financial mismatch presents a significant mediating effect between effective IC and innovation output. In Discussion, this study finds that the effects are significantly reflected in non-state-owned enterprises, but not in state-owned enterprises. Finally, it is suggested to improve IC effectiveness continuously, to stimulate innovation vitality, optimize financial resources allocation, and foster new momentum for economic development. And it is suggested to facilitate the transmission effect that effective IC mitigates financial mismatch, and enhances innovation output. Also, the innovation activities in state-owned and non-state-owned enterprises should be coordinated to promote the steady and healthy development of the economy.

We present an experimental investigation of optical spin orientation in colloidal CdS quantum dots (QDs) by a femtosecond laser pulse at room temperature. The spin carrier and its spin-generation process are clarified. Firstly, the observed spin signals of CdS QDs in time-resolved Faraday rotation measurements are shown to belong to electron carriers, by comparing the spin dephasing dynamics and Landé g factor between CdS QDs and bulk materials. Secondly, spin dynamics unaffected by the faster carrier recombination suggests that the spin-polarized electrons are not photoexcited but resident in the dots. Moreover, hole spins should dephase very fast compared with electron spins, otherwise the trion (two electrons with opposite spin orientations and one hole) recombination process will affect the resident electron spin signals. The electron spin is generated in a short time of which the excitation light is absorbed and the resident electron is excited to trion states, i.e., of pulse durations. Due to fast hole spin dephasing, trion recombination gives null spin signals, and the subsequent electron spin dynamics is controlled by its intrinsic mechanisms.

Reservoir operation causes spatiotemporal variations in outflow, which influence the dynamics of downstream aquatic communities. However, empirical evidence of community responses to hydrological alteration remains limited for dam-regulated rivers. This study focused on quantifying the streamflow disturbance to multi-population dynamics in downstream of the China’s Danjiangkou Reservoir. First, the stochastic population dynamics model (PDM) was used to simulate aquatic community dynamics. Then, the flow–ecology relationship was established to identify community response to reservoir outflow. Third, two novel ecological indicators, stable time (ST) and coefficient of variation at stable time (CVST), were proposed to evaluate the resilience and resistance of multi-population systems, respectively. Finally, the reservoir operating rule curves were optimized by considering tradeoffs between socioeconomic and ecological objectives. The coevolution processes of multi-population systems (fish, phytoplankton, zooplankton, zoobenthos, and macrophytes) were simulated by stochastic PDMs. The population densities of stable states showed continuous downward trends with increasing degree of hydrological alteration for multi-population systems, and aquatic community systems could be destroyed when alteration reached its acceptable maximum. The greater the degree of hydrological alteration, the longer the recovery time from an unstable to a stable state, and the weaker resistance for each population system. The resilience and resistance of downstream multi-population systems were enhanced by optimizing reservoir outflow. The optimization results illustrated that the performances of the multiple objectives of water supply, hydropower generation, and ST were improved by 2.37%, 2.40%, and 2.67%, respectively, whereas the performance of CVST was the same as the conventional operation. The flow–ecology relationship provided an approach to quantify the impacts of reservoir outflow on an aquatic community, which is helpful in guiding ecological flow strategies.