How do general anaesthetics cause loss of consciousness Essay

How do general anaesthetics cause loss of consciousness - Essay Example Usually, the general anaesthetics are used during long surgical operations that are also very painful. For example, during hysterectomy, hernia repairs, removal of gall bladder and more (Perry 2010, p. 67). Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is one the research conducted in search for the effects of anaesthetics in humans.The PET study covers the activity of both inhibitory and excitatory neurons that describe the conscious states of mind (Alkire, Haier and Fallon 2000, p. 371). Other studies have identified that general anaesthetics affects the thalamus, cerebellum, midbrain reticular formation, occipital cortex and basal forebrain. Research has revealed that the anaesthetics suppress the thalamocortical circuits, which interfere with the transfer of signals across the neural networks (Squire 1996, p. 114). These agents thalamocortically suppresses the regions of the brain differently although some theories tend to assume that the agents affect the entire brain, mostly focusing on the midbrain reticular formation and thalamus. The general anaesthetics do not affect the brain activities the same way. They affect different regions of the brain thus producing different states of unconsciousness. While humans are asleep, the flow of blood in the thalamus reduces, which means low metabolic rates which lead to unconsciousness. On another hand, anaesthesia involves artificial suppression of the metabolism processes in the thalamus, which make human beings unconscious, as well. In their PET studies, Dr.Alkire, Fallon and Haier used 11 unconscious brains and 11 conscious brains. They used two anaesthetic agents, which include the isoflurane and the halo-thane. They recorded the regional uptakes of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in each human brain of the subjects of the study. Then, they compared FDG uptake patterns of the unconscious subjects with the conscious subjects(Alkire, Haier and Fallon 2000, p.

Celebrity endorsement in the women's fragrance market and its effect Essay

Celebrity endorsement in the women's fragrance market and its effect on the UK consumer behaviour - Essay Example This is the null hypothesis proposed and the findings from the study would prove whether or not it is valid. If it is not, the alternative hypothesis would prove to be true, i.e., celebrity endorsement does not influence consumer behaviour positively in favour of the products. The birth of the modern perfumery industry occurred during the colonial era, when the riches and wealth accumulated by the European countries from their colonies enabled the maintenance of the perfect economic climate for the development of perfumes using the technique of enfleurage (www.perfume2000.com). The first perfume was produced in 1882, known as â€Å"fougere royale† using the process of enfleurage. This process uses purified fats in a process similar to maceration which produces pomades that are washed with alcohol, and it produces the finest oils possible. While the fragrance industry is a 25 billion dollar industry, it is one of the poorest performing sectors in the cosmetic industry. Although it would initially appear that the women’s fragrance market is very successful because there are so many new fragrances being launched every year, i.e., about 300 approximately, the reality is that only a few of those fragrances are well received and survive long enough to extend production into another year (Business Wire, 2007). On the other hand, there are some perfumes which have a long standing reputation and customers are very loyal to particular brands. One significant example of this is the Chanel group of perfumes and especially Chanel no: 5, which has been popular among women for many decades. This holds good despite the fact that celebrity endorsement of perfumes can be expensive; for instance the advertisement for Chanel no: 5 using Nicole Kidman cost  £18 million for use over a duration of five years (www.fashion-era.com). There are two approaches to consumer behavior. The