Dare to Dream: Bringing Futures into Planning

Futures studies and planning follow parallel and sometimes overlapping paths. Both are idealistic activities seeking to make people's futures more secure and more fulfilling. Many futurists wish that their dreams could be implemented, and many planners dream that their work could be less shortsighted and parochial. If only to fulfill these needs, these groups should pay more attention to each other. In this article, I attempt to strengthen the bridge between futurists and planners. My observations come from the perspective of someone with a professional and pedagogical interest in both planning and futures studies. I illustrate past, current, and potential contributions of futures studies to planning as follows: (1) the beginnings of futures studies in science fiction films, journals, and international development; (2) the role of envisioning, polling, and forecasting methods; and (3) the challenges of linking futures studies methods to planning. I then argue for a diverse approach in terms of methods and participants and assert that if planners are to embrace the future, their plans must begin with the future.     

Paying to belong: When does rejection trigger ingratiation?

Societies and social scientists have long held the belief that exclusion induces ingratiation and conformity, an idea in contradiction to robust empirical evidence linking rejection with hostility and aggression. The classic literatures on ingratiation and conformity help resolve this contradiction by identifying circumstances under which rejection may trigger efforts to ingratiate. Jointly, findings from these literatures suggest that when people are given an opportunity to impress their rejecters, ingratiation is likely after rejection experiences that are harsh and that occur in important situations that threaten the individual's self-definition. Four studies tested the hypothesis that people high in rejection sensitivity and therefore dispositionally concerned about rejection will utilize opportunities to ingratiate after harsh rejection in situations that are self-defining. In 3 studies of situations that are particularly self-defining for men, rejection predicted ingratiation among men (but not women) who were high in rejection sensitivity. In a 4th study, harsh rejection in a situation particularly self-defining for women predicted ingratiation among highly rejection-sensitive women (but not men). These findings help identify the specific circumstances under which people are willing to act in socially desirable ways toward those who have rejected them harshly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relating microbiological criteria to food safety objectives and performance objectives

Microbiological criteria, food safety objectives and performance objectives, and the relationship between them are discussed and described in the context of risk-based food safety management. A modified method to quantify the sensitivity of attributes sampling plans is presented to show how sampling plans can be designed to assess a microbiological criterion. Examples presented show that testing of processed foods for confirmation of safety is often not a practical option, because too many samples would need to be analysed. Nonetheless, in such cases the classical “ICMSF cases” and sampling schemes still offer a risk-based approach for examining food lots for regulatory or trade purposes.     

Determination of trace isoflavone phytoestrogens in biological materials by capillary electrochromatography

Capillary electrochromatography using a specialty monolithic matrix was utilized in developing a rapid and highly efficient separation of isoflavones in biological materials. Without a preconcentration technique, it is relatively easy to reach ppm-ppb concentrations of these compounds in soy-based foods and verify them structurally using a photodiode array detector. With on-column preconcentration, we were able to measure low-ppb levels in human serum. Using blood samples from human volunteers, whose diet was supplemented by a soy-based product, the method has been validated for high-throughput screening of isoflavones in clinical studies.     

Stabilization of anionic adducts in negative ion electrospray mass spectrometry

Attachment of small anions to neutral molecules is an important ionization mechanism in negative ion electrospray mass spectrometry. In this report, the tendency for different anions to remain attached to selected analyte compound classes has been systematically investigated. A rationale for the formation and stability of preferred anionic adducts is proposed in light of thermodynamic considerations. A series of collision-induced dissociation experiments reveals that the gas-phase basicities of the deprotonated analyte molecule ([M - H]-) and the anion moiety play important roles in determining the stability of anionic adducts. Adducts of the form [M - H]-...H+...[anion]- manifest increased stability when the two anions have similar gas-phase basicities. Within certain limitations, the difference in deltaG degrees values for proton combination with [M - H]- and with [anion]- can be used as a first-order predictor of adduct stability. In addition, stability increases with the rising gas-phase basicities of the two moieties. The specific interaction between a small inorganic anion (bisulfate) and a neutral analyte molecule (alpha-D-glucose) in the form of multiple hydrogen bonding has also been affirmed by computer modeling to contribute to the stability of some anionic adducts. Last, the gas-phase basicity of deprotonated alpha-D-glucose (i.e., the gas-phase acidity of alpha-D-glucose) is determined by a "bracketing method" to be in the range of 1373-1407 kJ/mol.     

如何对零售业客户关系管理效果进行度量

前不久，国际评估市场组织合伙人发布了有关世界各地采用信息技术及其支出方式的全球性研究报告，其中零售业部分特别值得关注。中型市场零售商的IT经费预计将从2004年的220亿美元增长到2009年的310亿美元，年增长率约为7％。