Consumer neuroscience: Assessing the brain response to marketing stimuli using electroencephalogram (EEG) and eye tracking

Application of neuroscience methods to analyze and understand human behavior related to markets and marketing exchange has recently gained research attention. The basic aim is to guide design and presentation of products to optimize them to be as compatible as possible with consumer preferences. This paper investigates physiological decision processes while participants undertook a choice task designed to elicit preferences for a product. The task required participants to choose their preferred crackers described by shape (square, triangle, round), flavor (wheat, dark rye, plain) and topping (salt, poppy, no topping). The two main research objectives were (1) to observe and evaluate the cortical activity of the different brain regions and the interdependencies among the Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals from these regions; and (2) unlike most research in this area that has focused mainly on liking/disliking certain products, we provide a way to quantify the importance of different cracker features that contribute to the product design based on mutual information. We used the commercial Emotiv EPOC wireless EEG headset with 14 channels to collect EEG signals from participants. We also used a Tobii-Studio eye tracker system to relate the EEG data to the specific choice options (crackers). Subjects were shown 57 choice sets; each choice set described three choice options (crackers). The patterns of cortical activity were obtained in the five principal frequency bands, Delta (0–4 Hz), Theta (3–7 Hz), Alpha (8–12 Hz), Beta (13–30 Hz), and Gamma (30–40 Hz). There was a clear phase synchronization between the left and right frontal and occipital regions indicating interhemispheric communications during the chosen task for the 18 participants. Results also indicated that there was a clear and significant change (p < 0.01) in the EEG power spectral activities taking a place mainly in the frontal (delta, alpha and beta across F3, F4, FC5 and FC6), temporal (alpha, beta, gamma across T7), and occipital (theta, alpha, and beta across O1) regions when participants indicated their preferences for their preferred crackers. Additionally, our mutual information analysis indicated that the various cracker flavors and toppings of the crackers were more important factors affecting the buying decision than the shapes of the crackers.     

亚洲可持续发展的价值

城市设计师和规划师担负着塑造城市的社会活力的重要职责,在亚洲,这项职责尤为重大。这块大陆约占世界陆地总面积的30%,而居住的人口却超过世界总人口的60%。如果这一地区计划的移民模式可以实现,那么,可持续发展绝对是保护自然资源、维持未来生活质量、避免其他地区曾付出惨重代价的关键因素。     

A level set topology optimization method for the buckling of shell structures

Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization - Shell structures are some of the most widely used in engineering applications. Flat plates, stiffened panels, and wing ribs are each examples of...     

Use of highly overcoupled couplers to detect shifts in Braggwavelength [strain sensors]

The authors present a technique for detecting Bragg wavelength shifts using highly overcoupled couplers (HOCC). An HOCC of 60%/nm was fabricated with 626 cycles. With our HOCC, a 5 μW LED and a 95% reflective Bragg grating we were able to detect 10 μstrain (Δλ=0.01 nm)     

LGMD 2E in Tunisia is caused by a homozygous missense mutation in beta-sarcoglycan exon 3

Four of the currently recognized autosomal recessive limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMD type 2C-F) are caused by mutations in the genes encoding components of the sarcoglycan complex. LGMD 2C, caused by mutations in gamma-sarcoglycan, is prevalent in northern Africa, especially in Tunisia, where this type of muscular dystrophy was originally described. Although the disease initially was assumed to be genetically homogeneous in this region, linkage to the alpha-sarcoglycan locus (LGMD 2D) has also been found. We have now identified the first Tunisian family with beta-sarcoglycanopathy (LGMD 2E), further adding to the genetic heterogeneity of autosomal recessive LGMD in this population. Direct sequencing of the beta-sarcoglycan gene revealed a homozygous mutation (G272-->T, Arg91Leu) in exon 3. This change affects the same arginine residue in the immediate extracellular domain of the protein that was mutated to a proline (G272-->C, Arg91Pro) in a Brazilian family with a severe form of the disease. Immunohistochemical analysis for the sarcoglycan complex demonstrates absence of the known components of the complex in both of these families. We postulate that the immediate extracellular domain of beta-sarcoglycan may be important for the assembly and/or maintenance of this complex, potentially mediated by disulfide-bond formation to another sarcoglycan via the single cysteine residue in that domain.     

Responses of dairy cows supplemented with somatotropin during weeks 5 through 43 of lactation

Beginning at wk 5 of lactation, 136 cows (34 per treatment) were supplemented daily for 38 wk with 0, 10.3, 20.6, or 41.2 mg of recombinantly derived bST monomer. Cows were obtained from University of Kentucky, University of Minnesota, University of Pennsylvania, and The Ohio State University. Nine cows (4 at 0 mg/d, 1 at 10.3 mg/d, 1 at 20.6 mg/d, and 3 at 41.2 mg/d) did not complete the experiment because of health problems. Data from these cows were included in the reproduction and health databases but not in the production database. Cows supplemented with bST produced more milk, consumed more feed, had lower rates of BW gain, and had improved efficiencies of milk production (conversion of feed and NEL to milk). Additional increases in productivity were modest at 20.6 and 41.2 mg/d versus productivity at 10.3 mg/d of bST. Concentrations of fat, protein, and TS in milk were unaffected. At 10.3 mg/d, bST did not adversely affect reproduction or health.     

Epilepsy in very preterm infants: neonatal cranial ultrasound reveals a high-risk subcategory

Osteoporotic fractures, and in particular, hip fractures result in significant morbidity and mortality. Low bone mass is the main risk factor of enhanced bone fragility, resulting in an increased risk for hip fracture. Bone density of osteoporotic women with and without hip fractures show a considerable overlap. Therefore, other bone-independent factors also play an important role for the development of hip- and other osteoporotic fractures. One other important factor is falling. In 90% of hip fractures falling was involved [10-15], but only 5% or less of these falls resulted in a subsequent fracture. The view that adequate exercise is beneficial for skeletal health of children and for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in adults is supported primarily by two lines of evidence: longitudinal and cross-sectional trials in children and young adult athletes showing a significant increase of muscle- and bone mass after strenuous (children) or chronic exercise (athletes) as compared to normally active (children) or sedentary control subjects. What are the potential benefits and limits of specific exercise programs with respect to bone mass, prevention of falls and fractures? In this review these questions are discussed and a specific exercise program in osteoporotic patients with fractures is delineated.     

Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast: value of histologic grading and proliferative activity

Using vitreous fluorophotometry and quantitative fluorescence microscopy the authors studied the permeability of the blood-retinal barrier (BRB) to fluorescein in control and in 8 days streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Vitreous fluorophotometry showed that fluorescein permeates BRB in control and in diabetic rats. However, in diabetic rats the permeability to fluorescein was significantly increased as compared to control rats. The vitreous penetration ratio (VPR) values for total and free fluorescein at 60 min, were higher for diabetic rats (231.2+/-12.9 min-1 for total fluorescein and 1299.24+/-58.0 min-1 for free fluorescein) than for control rats (95.5+/-3.5 min-1 for total fluorescein and 646.6+/-55. 0 min-1 for free fluorescein) (P<0.05). Quantitative confocal fluorescence microscopy confirmed these findings and identified the site of leakage across the BRB by comparing the relative importance of the fluorescein leakage across the outer and inner BRB. In control rats the fluorescence levels remained relatively low in the photoreceptor layer, next to the outer BRB but in the inner nuclear layer, next to the inner BRB reached values that were almost ten times higher. These results suggest that in retinas of control rats fluorescein penetrates predominantly through the inner BRB. In diabetic rats the fluorescence levels in the photoreceptor and in the inner nuclear layer were significantly increased as compared to the fluorescence levels in controls rats. Nevertheless, in the inner nuclear layer the fluorescence levels were also generally higher than the fluorescence levels at the photoreceptor layer. The rates of fluorescence levels between the inner nuclear layer and the photoreceptor layer were apparently 3:1, 60 min after the single intravenous injection of fluorescein. Also, the fluorescein penetration in the inner nuclear layer of the diabetic rats is higher than that observed in the inner nuclear layer of the control rats (P<0.001). These findings suggest that the permeability to fluorescein of both components of the BRB is increased 8 days after the induction of diabetes by streptozotocin and that the permeability of the retinal vasculature is preferentially affected.     

The phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor eIF4E in response to phorbol esters, cell stresses, and cytokines is mediated by distinct MAP kinase pathways

Initiation factor eIF4E binds to the 5'-cap of eukaryotic mRNAs and plays a key role in the mechanism and regulation of translation. It may be regulated through its own phosphorylation and through inhibitory binding proteins (4E-BPs), which modulate its availability for initiation complex assembly. eIF4E phosphorylation is enhanced by phorbol esters. We show, using specific inhibitors, that this involves both the p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and Erk signaling pathways. Cell stresses such as arsenite and anisomycin and the cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1beta also cause increased phosphorylation of eIF4E, which is abolished by the specific p38 MAP kinase inhibitor, SB203580. These changes in eIF4E phosphorylation parallel the activity of the eIF4E kinase, Mnk1. However other stresses such as heat shock, sorbitol, and H2O2, which also stimulate p38 MAP kinase and increase Mnk1 activity, do not increase phosphorylation of eIF4E. The latter stresses increase the binding of eIF4E to 4E-BP1, and we show that this blocks the phosphorylation of eIF4E by Mnk1 in vitro, which may explain the absence of an increase in eIF4E phosphorylation under these conditions.