Internal Communications, Engagement and Trust in a Mission-Based Organization: Examining how the strength of the mission of an organization plays a role in engagement, trust in leadership and communication

This paper describes a SDN-based solution that, by leveraging and coordinating many functionalities that reside at both WDM and Ethernet layers, orchestrates network resources with the aim to maximize host-to-host data transfer rate

Controlling gully- and revegetation-induced dried soil layers across a slope-gully system

The introduction of exotic plants and improper management strategies with regard to plant species can change the soil-water balance of deep soils, which in turn results in the formation of a dried soil layer (DSL) within the soil profile. The Loess Plateau (LP) of China has a complex terrain; however, only a few studies have evaluated the effects of the gully-induced DSL patterns, especially in hilly and gully regions of the northern LP. In this study, we collected soil-water content data to a depth of 5 m at 40 sampling sites in a slope-gully system to investigate and characterize DSLs and their spatial patterns. Results show that the DSL indices vary greatly in different slope positions. The thickness of DSLs (DSLT) and quantitative index (QI) in the gully were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those in the non-gully areas. The relative contribution of soil properties was higher than those of terrain factors in the gully, whereas the contribution of terrain factors was higher than those of soil properties under shrubland. Gullies contributed to the complex spatial DSL patterns in the slope-gully system. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was used to detect the relative significance of 10 selected environmental factors that affect spatial DSL patterns. Variable importance in projection (VIP) demonstrated that soil properties, especially Clay and Silt content, significantly influenced the DSL formation depth (DSLFD), DSLT, and QI. Land-use and slope position were the most important factors that influenced the mean soil-water content (SWC) within DSLs (DSL-SWC), which exhibited the highest VIP values. PLSR models simulated DSL indices accurately in DSL-SWC; the values for variation in response (R-2) and goodness of prediction (Q(2)) were 0.94 and 0.92, respectively. Therefore, our findings provide a helpful base reference for DSL management and reclamation of hill and gully regions of the LP. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Characteristics of Dried Soil Layers Under Apple Orchards of Different Ages and Their Applications in Soil Water Managements on the Loess Plateau of China

Negative soil water balance (i.e., water input &lt; water output) can lead to soil desiccation and subsequently the occurrence of a dried soil layer (DSL). The DSLs are generally studied at a specific sampling depth (e.g., 500 cm), and the actual extent of DSLs remains unknown due to the challenge of collecting deep soil samples. To investigate the characteristics of actual DSLs under different ages of apple orchards and ascertain the optimal age of apple orchards for avoiding/controlling the formation of DSLs, soil samples were collected to a depth of 1 800 cm under apple orchards of different ages in Changwu on the Loess Plateau of China. As the ages increased, soil water content (SWC) and mean SWC in DSLs showed an overall decreasing trend, whereas while DSL thickness and the quantity of water deficit (QWD) in DSLs demonstrated an increasing trend. The DSL was the thickest (1 600 cm) under the 17-year-old orchard, the forming velocity of DSL thickness was the highest at the apple tree growth stage of 9-17 years (168 cm year(-1)), and the highest increasing velocity of QWD (-181 mm year(-1)) was also observed at this stage. The thickness of DSL was significantly correlated with growth age and root depth of apple trees (r &gt; 0.88), whereas the QWD and mean SWC in DSLs were found to have no correlation with them. The optimal age of apple orchards for avoiding/controlling the formation of DSLs was about 9 years. This information provided pertinent references for the management of deep water resources by controlling the growth age of plants.</p

Estimates and determinants of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen stocks up to 5 m depth across a long transect on the Loess Plateau of China

Purpose Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) soil profiles are influenced by several environmental factors. However, the contents and distributions of these elements in deep soils and sediments are largely underestimated. We aimed to estimate the stocks, patterns, and driving factors of deep soil C and N on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) after large-scale ecological restoration projects. Materials and methods Soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents in different soil layers were measured directly at 86 sites along a regional transect across the CLP. Results and discussion SOC and TN contents ranged from 1.97 to 6.83 g C kg(-1) and 0.24 to 0.72 g N kg(-1), respectively, as the soil depth varied from 0 to 5 m. The mean contents and degrees of variability of SOC and TN decreased with the increasing of soil depth. Based on SOC and TN content patterns, we divided the 0-5-m soil profile into layers of 0-0.1, 0.1-0.4, 0.4-1, and 1-5 m. In the 1-5-m soil layer, approximately 70% of the mean SOC stock (14.97 kg C m(-2)) and 71% of the mean TN stock (1.75 kg N m(-2)) were stored. A partial least square regression model showed satisfactory predictive performance, with R-2 and Q(2) > 0.5 for SOC and TN stocks in the 0.1-0.4-m soil layer. Climatic factors, soil water content (SWC), and field capacity strongly affected SOC and TN stocks in all soil layers. The significance of clay content, SWC, and normalized difference vegetation index varied with soil depth and became the strongest in the 1-5-m soil layer. The highest proportion of SOC and TN stocks for this soil layer were found in grassland and in 450-550 mm rainfall zone. Conclusion Considerable amounts of SOC and TN stocks were stored in the 1-5-m-deep soils. Land-use types and rainfall zones can significantly affect the SOC and TN stocks. This information is helpful for identifying local land uses associated with high SOC and TN stocks and is essential for accurately estimating and predicting regional C and N stocks and cycles in terrestrial ecosystems

Estimating regional losses of soil water due to the conversion of agricultural land to forest in China's Loess Plateau

Afforestation on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) has been extensively implemented by the central government over the past decades to control soil erosion. The conversion of agricultural land to forest, however, has led to decreases in soil-water storage (SWS), which may in turn limit tree growth and threaten the health of ecosystems in the region. This study estimated the regional patterns of losses of soil water (Delta SWS) following conversions across the CLP. Soil-water content at 0-5.0 m was measured in 169 forests on the plateau, and the initial preafforestation SWS at each sample site was then estimated using stepwise regression. The mean.SWS in the 1.0-to 5.0-m profile across the study area was 203.7 mm, with an estimated annual average Delta SWS rate of 16.2 mm/ year. Delta SWS and its main contributing factors varied amongst 3 rainfall zones. Delta SWS generally increased with mean annual precipitation (MAP), Delta SWS depended primarily on tree age in the &gt; 550 mm MAP zone and on slope gradient and initial SWS in the &lt; 450 mm MAP zone. This result suggested that the vegetation might be more important than soil or topographic properties for estimating Delta SWS following the conversion of farmland in the wettest area of the CLP. Our study also suggests that MAP, tree age, slope gradient, and initial SWS have important effects on Delta SWS, which vary with rainfall. Understanding the regional hydrological effects of afforestation is necessary for the efficient management of soil-water resources on the CLP and in other water-limited regions

Variations in capacity and storage of plant-available water in deep profiles along a revegetation and precipitation gradient

Knowledge of regional characteristics and variability in available soil water is important for water resource management and vegetation restoration in arid and semi-arid regions. However, few studies have evaluated the available water-holding capacity (AWHC) and plant-available water storage (PAWS) for plant growth or determined the saturation of available soil water (SASW) in deep profiles (> 2m). This study investigated characteristics of AWHC and PAWS to a depth of 5 m along a revegetation and precipitation gradient on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). The results showed that AWHC(5) (m) exhibited a decreasing trend along the transect, with a mean value of 762.9 mm. PAWS(5) (m) first decreased, then increased following changes in vegetation types with a mean value of 257.3 mm. The PAWS(5) (m) significantly differed under different soil layers and showed high variation (coefficient of variation = 88.0%) in its profile. AWHC(5) (m) was significantly correlated with all environmental factors except slope aspect and slope gradient. A comparative analysis showed that PAWS(5) (m) had a small portion of AWHC(5) (m), both of which varied among different vegetation species. Variations in PAWS(5) (m) and AWHC(5) (m) were higher in the 450-550 mm precipitation zone and silt loam soil. Planted forests with deep root systems introduced in the 450-550 mm precipitation zone had lower SASW(5) (m) values than the areas with shallow root vegetation. A complete understanding of the spatial variations of PAWS, AWHC, and SASW along the revegetation and precipitation gradient will be helpful in assessing regional water resources and optimizing vegetation species on the CLP and possibly in other water-limited regions around the world

Enhanced High-Temperature Cycling Stability of Garnet-Based All Solid-State Lithium Battery Using a Multi-Functional Catholyte Buffer Layer

Highlights Thermally stable catholyte buffer layer was fabricated via incorporating a multi-functional flame-retardant triphenyl phosphate additive into poly(ethylene oxide). The optimized catholyte buffer layer enabled thermal and electrochemical stability at interface level, delivering comparable cycling stability of garnet-based all solid-state lithium battery, i.e., capacity retention of 98.5% after 100 cycles at 60 °C, and 89.6% after 50 cycles at 80 °C. Exceptional safety performances were demonstrated, i.e., safely cycling behavior at temperature up to 100 °C and spontaneous fire-extinguishing ability