Mainstream

根據New Scientist報導，澳洲阿德萊德大學的Maria Ohlsson Teague 與 Michelle Lane 兩位研究者藉由在老鼠身上的實驗，發現被餵食高脂肪食物長大的老鼠，其子代容易發生胰島素抵抗(Insulin resistance)的情況，也就是說，在表觀遺傳上的改變會在精子細胞的某些區域上延續。研究團隊篩選精子，找出具有能關閉蛋白質製造的遺傳物質，發現在被餵食高脂肪飲食的老鼠精子中，有21個microRNA的表現與正常餵食老鼠的不同。研究者使用已經microRNA的資料庫來預測這些被更改的標記會有什麼影響，而最可能受到影響的生物網絡與胚胎跟精子發育，還有代謝紊亂有關。Teague表示圍繞在睪丸附近的大量脂肪可能改變了周圍的環境，從而鼓勵表觀遺傳上的改變。這份研究結果在本月於墨爾本舉辦的第14屆世界人類生育會議上發表。

URL: http://pansci.tw/archives/10136

《kuso英文小辭典》He’s always out and about. 他喜歡趴趴走

有些人總喜歡往外跑，要形容這種人，你可以說：He’s always out and about.，這裡的about不是「大約」，而是「到處」之意。此外也可說：He’s always running around.

A：I just called Helen’s dorm like ten times, and no one answered.

B：That’s normal. She and her roommates are always out and about.

A：我打了十通電話到阿綸的宿舍，都沒有人接。

Explaining why someone should hire you, or introduce you to a friend who is hiring, can be uncomfortable. You need to sell yourself, but you don't want to sound like a salesperson. Instead of detailing what's so great about you, tell a story that covers the following:

¡Situation. Explain the problem or situation that you, your unit, or your company faced.

¡Tasks. Outline what your responsibility was in solving the problem.

¡Achievements. Make clear what you did to meet your responsibility.

¡Results. What happened as a result of your achievements? Did revenues increase? Did customer satisfaction improve? Use specific examples to pique your audience's interest.

by Mary C. Gentile

Jonathan has a new job. Just promoted from the accounting group at headquarters, he is now the controller for a regional sales unit of a consumer electronics company. He is excited about this step up and wants to build a good relationship with his new team. However, when the quarterly numbers come due, he realizes that the next quarter’s sales are being reported early to boost bonus compensation. The group manager’s silence suggests that this sort of thing has probably happened before. Having dealt with such distortion when he sat in corporate, Jonathan is fully aware of its potential to cause major damage. But this is his first time working with people who are creating the problem instead of those who are trying to fix it.

This may seem like a mundane accounting matter. But the consequences—in terms of carrying costs, distorted forecasting, compromised ethical culture, and even legal ramifications—are very serious. And except in extraordinarily well-run corporations, this kind of situation can arise easily. All managers should know how to respond constructively (indeed, learning to do so is a key piece of their professional development), and senior managers must be able to change the cultural norms that gave rise to bad judgment in the first place.

For Further Reading

Over the past four years, I have studied the moments when people decide whether to speak up about an ethical issue, and what they say when they do. I’ve collected stories from managers at all levels, with a particular focus on the earlier years in careers and on individuals who have positive stories to tell. These stories—along with the social-psychology research on decision making—shed light on what enables people to be candid when they encounter ethical conflicts in the workplace. The insights I describe here can help younger managers raise their voices when they should and help senior managers build a strong, honest organizational culture.

Whether you are a senior staff member or brand new to a job, it can be difficult to speak up when you see something wrong. However, not doing so can have deleterious consequences for your company, and your career. Here are the top three rationalizations for keeping silent and how to confront them:

1. It's not my job.

You don't have to be a seasoned staff member, an expert, or have formal authority to raise a flag. Doing the best thing for the company is always your job.

2. It's not a big deal.

If you're telling yourself that, it probably is a big deal. Instead of downplaying the severity of the issue, focus on trying to find a resolution.

Management Tip of The Day: 3 Reasons You Should Wear a Suit

In the tech boom of the 1990s, people began to trade in their suits for business-casual khakis and sweaters; and business attire has continued to get more casual ever since. Dressing appropriately is critical to landing clients, impressing your boss, and making business interactions easier. Here are three reasons to consider going old school and wearing a suit:

Ease. There's no need to agonize over whether you're dressed up enough. Because a suit is at the top of the dress-code hierarchy, you can wear it worry free.

Professionalism. There is no doubt that wearing a suit makes you both look and feel professional. It can be a good way to raise someone's opinion of you — perhaps even your opinion of yourself.

Respect. Wearing a suit shows whomever you're meeting with that you value the meeting enough to dress up for it.

Maybe it's because I quit my job several months ago, but lately I've been connecting with a lot of other people who have just quit or are on the verge of it. Reasons for taking the plunge vary widely, of course. But oddly, approaches to announcing the decision don't seem to be nearly as diverse. Many quitters more or less slink quietly out the door, without fully articulating why they're leaving; a smaller but still sizable number tend toward grandstanding as they exit, unable to resist the urge to preach or point the finger. Neither is a good way to end a working relationship, no matter what kinds of conditions you may be fleeing. Besides, allowing yourself the easy way out -- whether silence or soapbox -- is an awkward first foot forward on your new path. It sets the wrong tone.

Quitting is obviously not for everyone in this tough economic climate. But if you do decide to quit, what's the best way to go about it? The simple answer is with style -- but without the flair. Here's how:

1. Make clear the decision is about you, not everyone else. This is your choice, justifiable and dead-right as it may be. Take responsibility for it. Articulate your reasons rather than leave people guessing, but frame them in terms of what you need at this juncture in your life. Remember that others still need -- and want -- what your soon-to-be-former workplace offers.

2. Emphasize continuity. If you can retain a working relationship with your employer (freelancing, consulting, etc.), by all means do. Make your desire for that clear when you give your notice. If that doesn't fit what you're doing next, stay connected in other ways, such as real-world and online social settings, professional organizations, and occasional visits to your old stomping grounds. All of this can -- and should -- be on your terms, but when it comes to quitting a workplace, cold turkey is a dead fish.

3. Acknowledge how others will be affected. At the very least, your departure will mean a temporary increase in work for other people, and it might mean much more. Talking about it openly makes people less likely to stew. Of course, dwelling on it too much could suggest that you think the place will fall to pieces after you leave, and that's grandstanding of the worst sort.

凌晨老爹因下腹疼痛而醒過來

痛神經已不敏感的他會喊疼

那一定不是普通的疼

清晨老爹起床解尿

老媽起身關心他

兩樣損失~放下身段，親近員工

1. 員工升任主管，改變的不只是身分，連平常受到的待遇也會發生一百八十度的大轉變。

2. 走出因地位改變而成型的繭，檢討因頭銜所衍生的效應，用腦去判斷所收到的訊息。

3. 現在固然身居要職，但我也曾是金字塔底端的一份子，今天的我和過去的我並沒有兩樣。

4. 想作個真正成功的領導人，就必須容許別的同事向你挑釁、與你爭辯、跟你作對，這也是領導人的責任。

雖然有許多人表示，經濟衰退已經結束了，但經濟前景依舊讓人霧裡看花，想知道經濟是否真的在復甦嗎？ Regions Bank 首席經濟學家 Robert Allsbrook 建議，觀察看看粉紅領帶吧。

《富比士》報導，Allsbrook 表示：「大眾在充滿信心時，會選擇穿色彩鮮豔的衣服，因此當他們穿著暗色系衣服時，則表示他們心情不太好。另外，男性的領帶通常是一種指標，因為這是改變穿著的便宜方法。」 

「去年夏天，甚至在雷曼兄弟 (LENMQ-US) 申請破產之前，我看到許多人都穿著有如要去參加葬禮的領帶，但現在呢，越來越多男性換上了粉紅色等花俏的樣式。」他說。

經濟學家因為有機會獲得大量的數據和先進的機器，因此能更方便掌握市場變動率如失業率、債券收益率、新住房開工率和通脹。諮詢公司 Leo J. Shapiro & Associates 的總裁 Owen Shapiro 表示，數據唯一的問題就是，民眾在新聞上看到的數據並非最即時的，因為許多數據會隨著大眾的想法而改變。

即使在理論上，股票價格應該要能反應出公司未來盈利能力，但目前卻無法從此看出任何端倪。