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Showing papers in "Eureka in 2010"


Journal ArticleDOI
09 Mar 2010-Eureka
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) to study how the brain is physiologically affected by advertising and marketing strategies.
Abstract: Neuromarketing is an emerging interdisciplinary field connecting psychology and neuroscience with economics. The goal of neuromarketing is to study how the brain is physiologically affected by advertising and marketing strategies. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies, brain activity resulting from viewing an advertisement is monitored and measured using neuroimaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG). Neuromarketing studies usually measure preference between products in terms of brand familiarity or product preference. In traditional marketing studies, measures such as the product preference for a particular advertisement is sometimes difficult to measure, as a viewer may hold a cognitive bias. However, brand familiarity and product preference have been correlated with neural activity. The field of neuromarketing is still viewed with caution from consumer protection groups as well as many academics due to the possible ethical implications of designing advertisements to intentionally cause specific neurological effects.

75 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
09 Mar 2010-Eureka

1 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
09 Mar 2010-Eureka

1 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
09 Mar 2010-Eureka
TL;DR: It is proposed that Bmpr1bb is a downstream target of RA signalling, strongly downregulated during embryogenesis and specified to a specific region of the hindbrain, as being significantly downregulated in response to retinoic acid treatment.
Abstract: Retinoic acid signalling plays a critical role during zebrafish development. The teratogenic effects of retinoic acid have been demonstrated by embryonic deformation resulting from insufficient or excessive levels of this vitamin A derivative. During embryogenesis, bone morphogenetic proteins are closely linked to the physiological interpretation of RA gradients, particularly in the hindbrain. We describe an uncharacterized gene, Bmpr1bb, as being significantly downregulated in response to retinoic acid treatment. In situ expression demonstrates that Bmpr1bb is expressed ubiquitously at 10hpf, and is slowly downregulated until 48hpf where the expression is concentrated in the hindbrain. We propose that Bmpr1bb is a downstream target of RA signalling, strongly downregulated during embryogenesis and specified to a specific region of the hindbrain. Introduction Retinoic acid (RA) plays an important part in the development of pattern in the zebrafish hindbrain, a fact that has been appreciated since early studies of its teratogenic effects in vivo. RA also plays an important role in developing the anterior-posterior axis, inducing a combinatorial expression of Hox genes in the hindbrain (Kessel, Gruss 1991). Evidence for a RA gradient comes from studies demonstrating that excess of retinoic acid during embryogenesis disrupts development of the anterior hindbrain as a potent dorsalizing signal (Wilson et al. 2007), (Durston et al. 1989). RA deficiency also has teratogenic effects, most clearly demonstrated by vitamin A deficient animal models (White et al. 2000). Despite the importance of RA signalling in vertebrates, only a handful of genes are known to be involved in RA signalling (Duester 2008). To this end, we aimed to identify and characterize novel downstream targets of RA signalling in the vertebrate hindbrain. Based on RA/RA-antagonist microarray data, we hypothesize that we can identify and characterize a candidate gene that is part of a network of downstream targets responsive to RA levels. Within the cell, RA levels are tightly controlled, being either degraded by CYP26 in nontarget tissues, or bound to retinoic acid receptor (RAR) – retinoid X receptor (RXR) heterodimers and functioning as nuclear receptors (Fig 1) (Mark, Ghyselinck & Chambon 2009, Abu-Abed et al. 2001, Sakai et al. 2001). RA signalling in the developing hindbrain is intimately related to its effects on Hox gene function. Several Hox genes are direct targets of RA, and contain retinoic acid response elements (RAREs) in their promoter regions (Simeone et al. 1990) (also see (Langston, Gudas 1994) and references therein). Only a few direct targets of RA signalling have been described: Hox1, a small number of transcription factors (HNF-3α, Cdx1), and a number of genes directly involved in retinoid metabolism (CRABP1, CRABP2) (Balmer, Blomhoff 2002). Patterning of the embryonic dorsoventral axis of vertebrates requires signalling through bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). BMP ligands BMP2 and BMP7 function as heterodimers, catalyzing the assembly of a quadripartite transmembrane serine-threonine kinase receptor complex consisting of two type I and two type II receptors. Once the receptors are complexed, a phosphorylation cascade activates BMP-responsive Smads1/5 which act as transcription factors eliciting the downstream response (Feng, Derynck 2005). BMP signalling in vertebrates is tightly linked to RA levels. Indeed, exogenous RA has been shown to directly downregulate BMPs (Thompson et al. 2003). Bone morphogenetic protein receptors (BMPRs) are also ideal gene candidates for RA signalling, based on evidence for RA-induced Volume 1, Number 1 (2010) Eureka

Journal ArticleDOI
24 Feb 2010-Eureka
TL;DR: The Japanese government's agenda at the IWC is to restart commercial whaling and appears to be actively promoting the consumption of whale meat from the research vessels as discussed by the authors, despite the 1982 moratorium on whaling.
Abstract: Centuries of unregulated hunting lead to the decimation of whale populations globally. A moratorium on whaling allowed some stocks to start recovering, but others are not as promising. The Japanese lethal research on whales is permitted under the International Whaling Commission’s regulations allowing for scientific sampling of cetaceans, despite the 1982 moratorium on whaling. However, many in the scientific community suggest that the Japanese research is really a front for commercial whaling. The research programs in both the Antarctic and North Pacific (JARPA and JARPN) are not meeting their objectives and non-lethal techniques would be more effective. The Japanese government’s agenda at the IWC is to restart commercial whaling and appears to be actively promoting the consumption of whale meat from the research vessels. Japans internal market is not properly regulated and meat packaged for consumption has been found with pathogens and extremely high levels of toxins and heavy metals. Genetic analysis has indicated whale meat in markets contains internationally protected species, as well as non-whale tissues. Due to the extreme deficiency in our knowledge of global cetacean populations and the lack of infrastructure to monitor and enforce quotas, whale conservation should take priority over premature harvesting or unscientific research.