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The construction of major hydropower projects globally is challenged by slope deformation in reservoir areas. The deformation and failure mechanisms of large rock slopes are complex and poorly understood, making prevention and management extremely challenging. In order to explore the influence mechanism of the water level variation on the deformation of steep toppling bedding rock slopes, this paper takes the right bank slope near the dam area of the Longtou Hydropower Station as an example, and field investigations, deformation monitoring, physical simulation tests and numerical analyses are carried out. It is found that the slope deformation response is obvious under the influence of the reservoir water level variation, which is mainly reflected in the change in the slope groundwater level, rock mechanical parameters and seepage field in the slope body. The toe of the slope produces plastic deformation and maximum displacement. With the increase in the reservoir water level, the plastic zone expands and the displacement increases, which leads to the intensification of the slope deformation. This paper puts forward that the deformation and failure modes of the steep and toppling bedding rock slope caused by water level variation are due to shear dislocation, bending deformation and toppling fracture. This study reveals the influence mechanism of the water level variation on the deformation of steep and toppling bedding rock slopes, which can provide theoretical support for the construction of major hydropower projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Great Chinese Famine is considered one of the most traumatic events recorded in human history and has a long‐lasting influence on the survivors' behaviors. Previous studies have linked the CEOs' early‐life experiences to corporate decisions and managerial behaviors, but does experience affect corporate governance? We investigate the impact of the CEO's early‐life famine experience on tunneling using a data set consisting of 11,573 firm‐year observations from the Chinese manufacturing companies publishing A‐shares on the main board from 2006 to 2016. We find that companies run by CEOs who experienced the Great Chinese Famine (1959–1961) in their early life are less likely to collude with controlling shareholders to expropriate minority shareholders than those who did not suffer the hardships of famine. We further make mediation tests to confirm two channels: risk aversion and empathy for poverty. The overall findings align with the view of imprinting theory: CEOs' experiences of adverse events in their early life have a lasting impact on their later‐life behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Spartina alterniflora is an exo‐recretohalophyte Poaceae species that is able to grow well in seashore, but the genomic basis underlying its adaptation to salt tolerance remains unknown. Here, we report a high‐quality, chromosome‐level genome assembly of S. alterniflora constructed through PacBio HiFi sequencing, combined with high‐throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi‐C) technology and Illumina‐based transcriptomic analyses. The final 1.58 Gb genome assembly has a contig N50 size of 46.74 Mb. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that S. alterniflora diverged from Zoysia japonica approximately 21.72 million years ago (MYA). Moreover, whole‐genome duplication (WGD) events in S. alterniflora appear to have expanded gene families and transcription factors relevant to salt tolerance and adaptation to saline environments. Comparative genomics analyses identified numerous species‐specific genes, significantly expanded genes and positively selected genes that are enriched for 'ion transport' and 'response to salt stress'. RNA‐seq analysis identified several ion transporter genes including the high‐affinity K+ transporters (HKTs), SaHKT1;2, SaHKT1;3 and SaHKT1;8, and high copy number of Salt Overly Sensitive (SOS) up‐regulated under high salt conditions, and the overexpression of SaHKT2;4 in Arabidopsis thaliana conferred salt tolerance to the plant, suggesting specialized roles for S. alterniflora to adapt to saline environments. Integrated metabolomics and transcriptomics analyses revealed that salt stress activate glutathione metabolism, with differential expressions of several genes such as γ‐ECS, GSH‐S, GPX, GST and PCS in the glutathione metabolism. This study suggests several adaptive mechanisms that could contribute our understanding of evolutional basis of the halophyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on the issue of environmental protection, we conducted an empirical study testing the relationship between day‐to‐day organizational life and organizational behavior in a culture influenced by Confucianism. We first reviewed the major characteristics of organizational life in this cultural context, based on which we proposed a model focusing on the relationship between organizational life and firms' performance in environmental protection. We then conducted an empirical study using data from Chinese firms. Our findings suggested that in a developing society such as China, the more a firm's organizational life stresses the value of "being a noble man," the value of zhongyong, the family–state concept, and the higher the firm's dependency on resources from the government, the greater the likelihood that the firm will perform well in environmental protection. However, surprisingly, yin/yang balance in organizational life did not seem to improve firms' environmental performance. We conclude this paper with a discussion of the implications of our findings and make suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese Communist Party began decoupling its policies and practices from Maoist communist ideology more than four decades ago. Yet, why does Maoism continue to have an impact on the behavior of Party members? In this study, we argue that, although the influence of Maoist ideology has become weaker among younger Party members and Party members with higher educational attainment, such ideological decay is countered by a process of secondhand ideological imprinting. Based on data from 1,298 non-state-owned Chinese listed firms for 2000–2017, we find that firms with Party-member board chairs file fewer patent applications and are more likely to commit patent infringement. These effects are weaker if a board chair is younger or has higher educational attainment. Importantly, the moderating effect of young age is reduced as the presence of older Party-member corporate directors in a region becomes more prominent. However, the moderating effect of education appears to be unaffected by the presence of older Party-member directors. These findings generate fresh insights on the dynamics of ideological decay and persistence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]