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Many organizations are at the present time faced with two problems. First, what are the events that are likely to have important implications for their activities in future time periods? Second, what new areas should they consider entering and how can they make quick appraisal of the potential in such areas? There are no easy answers to either of these questions but a number of methods have been proposed which have been found to be of assistance. This paper outlines an approach based on the use of abstracting services which can provide useful information quickly and inexpensively.

Subjects who were either high or low in apprehension about communication completed the 16 PF questionnaire. An analysis of variance was utilized to compare subjects' apprehension and personality characteristics. Subjects high and low in apprehension differed significantly on seven personality factors, but highly apprehensive subjects' scores still fell within the first standard deviation for the normal United States population. Subjects low in apprehension about communication scored outside the first standard deviation on three personality factors. High apprehension then is not necessarily associated with negative personality characteristics, while low apprehension about communication is associated with several positive attributes.

Highlights • The ferret model is used to study human disease and physiology. • TaqMan realtime RT-PCR assays for ferret cytokine and chemokine mRNA were developed. • Cytokine and chemokine patterns in ferret cells were similar to other mammals. • A comprehensive panel of mRNAs can be measured in samples of limited quantity., The ferret is an excellent model for many human infectious diseases including influenza, SARS-CoV, henipavirus and pneumococcal infections. The ferret is also used to study cystic fibrosis and various cancers, as well as reproductive biology and physiology. However, the range of reagents available to measure the ferret immune response is very limited. To address this deficiency, high-throughput real time RT-PCR TaqMan assays were developed to measure the expression of fifteen immune mediators associated with the innate and adaptive immune responses (IFNα, IFNβ, IFNγ, IL1α, IL1β, IL2, IL4, IL6, IL8, IL10, IL12p40, IL17, Granzyme A, MCP1, TNFα), as well as four endogenous housekeeping genes (ATF4, HPRT, GAPDH, L32). These assays have been optimized to maximize reaction efficiency, reduce the amount of sample required (down to 1 ng RNA per real time RT-PCR reaction) and to select the most appropriate housekeeping genes. Using these assays, the expression of each of the tested genes could be detected in ferret lymph node cells stimulated with mitogens or infected with influenza virus in vitro. These new tools will allow a more comprehensive analysis of the ferret immune responses following infection or in other disease states.

Summy.-60 subjects identified as either high or low in communication apprehension completed mood state inventory scales. The high and low scorers differed significantly from one another across several mood dimensions. Highly apprehensive subjects' scores, however, all fell within the normal range for their peers, while low scorers fell outside the normal range on two dimensions. Apprehension about communication is defined as a "broadly based anxiety related to oral communication" ( McCroskey, 1982 ) . Over the past decade, numerous studies have investigated behavioral and cognitive aspects of persons who experience high levels of such anxiety. None of these investigations, however, have assessed high scoring subjects' mood states. The present research attempted to determine if highly apprehensive persons differed significantly in mood from persons characterized as low in apprehension. METHOD

SummaryThe principles on which contemporary innovation policies can be designed depend (a) on our understanding of what innovation has been in the past and how we have studied it as a process and a system, and (b) what it might become in the future. Science, technology, industry, organisational designs and the economy at large are evolving; this is itself an innovation process. As innovation is becoming more subtle, intangible and pervasive, so we need to become increasingly sophisticated in order to make further progress. Europe is progressing rapidly towards a knowledge-driven economy and this has important implications for innovation. In order to stimulate more widespread debate around this theme, this paper introduces the concept of ‘third generation innovation policy’ and explains the development of this concept with reference to one particular policy area — taxation.