Development of an early warning system of crop moisture conditions using passive microwave

Emissivities were calculated from the Nimbus 5 electrically scanning microwave radiometer (ESMR) over 25 km grid cells for the southern Great Plains includin the western two-thirds of Kansas and Oklahoma and northwest Texas. These emissivities, normalized for seasonal temperature changes, were in excellent agreement with theory and measurements made from aircraft and truck sensors at the 1.55 cm wavelength of ESMR. These emissivities were related to crop moisture conditions of the winter wheat in the major wheat producing counties of the three states. High correlations were noted between emissitivity and an antecedent precipitation index (API) used to infer soil moisture for periods when the soils were essentially bare. The emissivities from ESMR were related through API and actual crop condition reports to progress of fall planting, adequacy of crop moisture for stand establishment, and periods of excessive moisture that necessitated replanting. Periods of prolonged frozen soil in the winter were observable at several grid points. The average emissivities of the canopy/soil surface during the maximum canopy development times in the spring showed a good agreement with moisture stress inferred from rainfall and yield data

Leadership that scales: a phenomenological inquiry into facilitated peer-grouping coaching

The global marketplace, with its complexity, immediacy, and ubiquitous disruptions places almost impossible demands on its leaders and its leadership ranks. For many years, a top, perennial contender for the what keeps CEOs up at night list has been a severe lack in both the quantity and quality of effective leaders. The war for talent has been figuratively bloody and literally protracted. Leadership development and coaching modalities abound, but demand appears to be much greater than the supply of effective and measurable solutions. Nowhere does there appear to be a scalable approach to accelerate into this demand curve. This descriptive phenomenological inquiry explores the lived experiences of 16 leaders who participated in an experimental Facilitated Peer-group Coaching experience (FPC). FPC is coaching methodology where participants work on both their own leadership development and the development of their peers. Participants learn to coach and develop each other with the assistance of a trained facilitator. Subjects in this study responded to 20 face-to-face interview questions designed to identify their thoughts, perceptions, feelings and perspectives. The findings and conclusions of this study revealed five developmental fields that catalyze and empower leadership growth. These fields include creating community, self-exploration and illumination, the community mirror, leadership development, and organizational business results. Those fields comprise an ecosystem that presents opportunities for global organizations, coaches and coaching organizations, and academic scholarship

Imagining a Better Future: Identifying Cognitive Mechanisms to Improve Prospective Memory

The aims of this UGP funded project were to 1) to develop a clearer understanding of the mechanisms that support implementation intentions and visual imagery (e.g., heightened awareness to intention-relevant stimuli, strengthened stimulus-intention associations), and 2) to apply that increased understanding of mechanisms to the development of more effective PM (prospective memory) strategies