Advancing Strategy: How to Lead Change in Corporate Societal Engagement

Implementing a strategy may be even harder than developing it. This learning brief is intended for corporate foundation and CSR leaders who have completed an initial strategy refresh process and who seek effecitve practices and tools to advance this strategy. In our experience advising more than 100 multinational companie, effective leaders facilitate structured, data-informed decisions and enable important organizational improvements to achieve their strategic objectives. Specifically, advancing strategy in corporate societal engagement typically requires leading change in two major areas of the overall portfolio: designing a signative initiative and transforming local giving

Group Theory and Particles

We begin by a brief overview of the notion of groups and Lie groups. We then explain what group representations are and give their main properties. Finally, we show how group representation form a natural framework to understand the Standard Model of physics

Analysis on Sharp and Smooth Interface

In biology, minimizing a free energy functional gives an equilibrium shape that is the most stable in nature. The formulation of these functionals can vary in many ways, in particular they can have either a smooth or sharp interface. Minimizing a functional can be done through variational calculus or can be proved to exist using various analysis techniques. The functionals investigated here have a smooth and sharp interface and are analyzed using analysis and variational calculus respectively. From the former we find the condition for extremum and its second variation. The second variation is commonly used to analyze stability of a surface that is a solution to the functional so having a surface is necessary. Comparatively, from the latter we find that there exists a minimizing surface for the functional; from this numerical and variational approaches to the problem can be justified

Organizing historical agricultural data and identifying data integrity zones to assess agricultural data quality

As precision agriculture transitions into decision agriculture, data driven decision- making has become the focus of the industry and data quality will be increasingly important. Traditionally, yield data cleaning techniques have removed individual data points based on criteria primarily focused on the yield values. However, when these methods are used, the underlying causes of the errors are often overlooked and as a result, these techniques may fail to remove all of the inaccurate data or remove “good” data. As part of this research, an alternative to data cleaning was developed. Data integrity zones (DIZ) within each field were identified by looking at metadata which included data collected by the combine that reported the operating conditions of the machinery (i.e. travel speed, crop mass flow), data about the field environment (i.e. soil type, topography, weather), and data of field operations (e.g., field logs, as-applied maps). Ten years of historical data from the Southeast Purdue Agricultural Center (5 years of corn and 4 years of soybeans) and the Northeast Purdue Agricultural Center (1 year of corn) were used for analysis. Data in DIZ were isolated using buffers and the analysis of the reduced datasets was compared to the raw data. The amount of data that was removed depended on the amount of variation in the field, approximately 70% for the 14.5 acre SEPAC J4 field and 30% for the 25 acre NEPAC S13 field. Statistical comparisons of the data showed the mean yield estimate increased by an average of 22 bu/ac for corn and 3 bu/ac for soybeans when DIZ data was used compared to raw data. On average the standard deviation decreased by 24 bu/ac and 5 bu/ac for corn and soybeans, respectively, indicating that the data collected in these zones was more consistent and contained less noise and fewer errors. The average change in the standard error of the mean was 0.08 for corn and 0.09 for soybeans when the DIZ data was used. The temporal yield indices for each soil type zone showed that the yield responses were more stable when DIZ data was used for analysis instead of raw data. The estimates provided by these smaller, more accurate datasets are also more likely to be representative of the treatments that are being compared. The data collected in DIZ and the data collected outside of DIZ were compared for differences. The non-DIZ data contained much more variation in two key measurements that have been shown to affect data quality: combine travel speed (CV was 2.2x higher for corn non-DIZ data and 1.5x higher for soybean non-DIZ data) and crop mass flow rate (CV was 2.6x higher for corn non-DIZ data and 1.6x higher for soybean non-DIZ data). This alternative to data cleaning effectively removed errors and artifacts from yield data. When these reduced datasets are used to analyze historical yield data over time, they may provide a clearer picture of true yield effects; this will improve decisions on input and resource allocation, support wiser adoption of precision agricultural technologies, and refine future data collection

Cultivating an Environment for Continued Growth in Nurse Educators

Along with the significant shortage of registered nurses, the United States is also experiencing a serious shortage of nursing faculty. Despite the high demand for nurses, many nursing programs are unable to accept all qualified students due to this shortage. This essay identifies reasons why nurse educators are leaving the academic setting and why there are fewer qualified and willing candidates to fill the vacant positions. In addition to discussion of the problem, practical strategies for recruitment and retention are proposed. Through appropriate planning and leadership, there are many practical solutions that can be implemented in the workplace setting to cultivate a work environment for the continued growth and retention of nurse educators

Encontres glacials: una geopolítica feminista sobre el canvi climàtic

El canvi climàtic exigeix que repensem l'ordre polític global desenvolupant una formulació i una pràctica de la geopolítica que prengui seriosament el dinamisme dels sistemes de la Terra i els seus efectes diferencials. Es tracta d'una geopolítica que no només requereix que repensem el que constitueix el geo sinó que repensem també què es fa i en què consisteix la política. Mitjançant estudis de cas extrets de l'organització artística britànica sobre el canvi climàtic, Cape Farewell, i en concret dels seus viatges per l'Àrtic, analitzem la manera com les pràctiques geoestètiques ofereixen una via per experimentar amb la manera de pensar sobre una reformulació geopolítica com aquesta. Per tal d'aprofundir en aquest argument, acostem la recerca contemporània sobre la geopolítica dels elements a una obra més àmplia l'objectiu de la qual és re-formular el geo com a força política. Si ens prenem seriosament els reptes múltiples que aquesta proposta planteja pel que fa als mètodes, a les concepcions de la política d'allò que és intra i inhumà, i a les composicions de les relacions corporals, anem cap als estudis geopolítics feministes en què els cossos –humans i no humans– són un indret geopolític important. Experimentant amb la geoestètica com a eina per pensar i sentir, no argumentem que la geopolítica feminista del canvi climàtic que proposem sigui l'única geopolítica feminista possible; ni tampoc tenim totes les respostes als problemes que planteja el fet de prendre's seriosament el geo dins de la formulació de la geopolítica. No obstant això, sí que ofereix un punt de partida productiu i provocatiu per començar a crear una geopolítica adient als reptes del canvi climàtic.Climate change requires that we rethink the global order of politics by developing a formulation and practice of geopolitics that takes seriously the dynamism of earth's systems and their differential effects. This is a geopolitics that not only demands we rethink what constitutes the ‘geo' but also that we rethink how we understand what ‘politics' is, does and consists of. Using case studies drawn from the UK climate change arts organization Cape Farewell, and in particular their Arctic voyages, I explore how geoaesthetic practices offer a way to experiment with thinking such a geopolitical reformulation. In order to advance this contention, I draw contemporary scholarship on elemental geopolitics together with broader work that aims to reframe the ‘geo' as a political force. Taking seriously the manifold challenges that such a proposition poses to methods, to understandings of the politics of the intra and inhuman, and to compositions of bodily relations, I turn to feminist geopolitical scholarship where bodies –human and non-human– are an important geopolitical site. Experimenting with geoaesthetics as tools to think and feel with, I don't claim that the feminist ‘geo'politics of climate change proposed is the only possible feminist geopolitics, nor does it have all the answers to the problems posed by taking seriously the ‘geo' within formulations of geopolitics. It does however; offer a productive and provocative place from which to begin to create geopolitics adequate to the challenges of climate change.El cambio climático exige repensar el orden político global desarrollando una formulación y una práctica de la geopolítica que tome en serio el dinamismo de los sistemas de la Tierra y sus efectos diferenciales. Se trata de una geopolítica que no sólo requiere repensar lo que constituye el geo sino repensar también que se hace y en qué consiste la política. Mediante estudios de caso extraídos de la organización artística británica sobre el cambio climático, Cape Farewell, y en concreto de sus viajes por el Ártico, analizamos la forma en que las prácticas geoestètiques ofrecen una vía para experimentar con la forma de pensar sobre una reformulación geopolítica como ésta. Para profundizar en este argumento, acercamos la investigación contemporánea sobre la geopolítica de los elementos a una obra más amplia el objetivo es re-formular el geo como fuerza política. Si nos tomamos en serio los retos múltiples que esta propuesta plantea en cuanto a los métodos, a las concepciones de la política de lo intra e inhumano, y en las composiciones de las relaciones corporales, vamos hacia los estudios geopolíticos feministas en que los cuerpos –humanos y no humanos– son un lugar geopolítico importante. Experimentando con la geoestètica como herramienta para pensar y sentir, no argumentamos que la geopolítica feminista del cambio climático que proponemos sea la única geopolítica feminista posible; ni tampoco tenemos todas las respuestas a los problemas que plantea el hecho de tomar en serio el geo dentro de la formulación de la geopolítica. Sin embargo, sí que ofrece un punto de partida productivo y provocativo para empezar a crear una geopolítica adecuada a los retos del cambio climático

Genetic control of flowering time and biomass yield in sorghum

Sorghum is a C4 grass grown for grain, forage, sugar, and most recently biomass, though there has been very little genetic improvement for biomass yield. Most biomass sorghums are very late flowering to maximize vegetative growth. In order to understand the genetic control of flowering time and biomass yield in sorghum, we used a diverse panel of more than 400 exotic sorghum inbreds to perform association mapping for flowering time, biomass yield, and yield component traits. We also examined correlations between traits, correlations between inbred and hybrid performance, and the relationship between traits of interest and genetic diversity. Significant marker-trait associations were detected for maturity, plant height, and lodging. Forty percent of the variance in biomass yield is explained by plant height and lodging, inbred yield explained 82% of the variance in hybrid yield, and inbreds from all genetic subpopulations were represented in the top 5% of yield entries over two years. To better understand the reported epistatic interaction between two major flowering time loci, Ma5 and Ma6, we also performed linkage mapping in two biparental populations (Tx623 x Tx2909 and Tx623 x Tx2910) thought to be segregating for functional variation at both Ma5 and Ma6. Linkage mapping results suggest that the architecture of the photoperiod-sensitivity response differs between these two populations. Overall, our results suggest there is abundant genetic variation to quickly improve sorghum biomass yields by incorporating novel alleles from exotic sorghum

Consideration of /ˈmem(ə)rē/: A Solo Performance Project

On February 18, 2018, I performed a solo show in conjunction with my MFA cohort. This solo show, titled /ˈmem(ə)rē/, was written and produced by myself and dealt with a woman’s search through her memories to find something she’s been missing. Over the course of this paper, I discuss the genesis of the central theme, the evolution of each frame, as well as the success and failures of the piece during performance. I conclude by determining whether or not a re-mounting of this work would be beneficial in the future and examining what I learned in the process of creating the piece

Association between depressive symptom clusters and food attentional bias

Background The mechanisms underlying the depression-obesity relationship are unclear. Food attentional bias (FAB) represents one candidate mechanism that has not been examined. We evaluated the hypothesis that greater depressive symptoms are associated with increased FAB. Method Participants were 89 normal weight or overweight adults (mean age = 21.2 ± 4.0 years, 53% female, 33% non-white, mean body mass index in kg/m2 = 21.9 ± 1.8 for normal weight; 27.2 ± 1.5 for overweight). Total, somatic, and cognitive-affective depressive symptom scores were computed from the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8). FAB scores were calculated using reaction times (RT) and eye-tracking (ET) direction and duration measures for a food visual probe task. Age, gender, race/ethnicity, and body fat percent were covariates. Results Only PHQ-8 somatic symptoms were positively associated with RT-measured FAB (β = 0.23, p = .04). The relationship between somatic symptoms and ET direction (β = 0.18, p = .17) and duration (β = 0.23, p = .08) FAB indices were of similar magnitude but were not significant. Somatic symptoms accounted for 5% of the variance in RT-measured FAB. PHQ-8 total and cognitive-affective symptoms were unrelated to all FAB indices (ps ≥ 0.09). Conclusions Only greater somatic symptoms of depression were linked to food attentional bias as measured using reaction time. Well-powered prospective studies should examine whether this bias replicates, particularly for eye-tracking measures, and whether it partially mediates the depression-to-obesity relationship

Reflection on Retention: An Evaluation Study on Minority Students’ Success in an Online Nursing Program

The United States nursing workforce faces a health care challenge for providing culturally competent care to the growing number of racial and ethnic minority groups. According to Gertner et al (2010), cultural competency in health care is defined as providing care to patients with diverse backgrounds to meet the social, cultural and linguistic needs. Research has shown that patients receive a higher level of culturally competent care from nurses who are from their own cultural background. Administrators and faculty working in Schools of Nursing must recognize this important fact and take action to ensure the admissions, progression, and graduation of minority students meet the needs of the population demographics of the community, resulting in better promotion of cultural competency in the healthcare system. Diverse students have different learning needs and barriers; therefore, policies and support services must be in place for these individuals to progress and graduate. Key strategies, according to our research, will be discussed regarding how faculty and administrators can best support the needs for diverse students to ensure progression and graduation in an online RN-BSN program