Despite enormous recent efforts in detecting the mechanism of the social relation formation in online social systems, the underlying rules between the common interests and social relations are still under dispute. Do online users befriend others who have similar tastes, or do their tastes become more similar after they become friends? In this paper, we investigate the correlation between online...

These studies examined the differences in sweet taste perception and implicit attitude toward sweet between normal-weight and overweight/obese adults; and tested the effects of soft drink consumption on sweet taste, explicit preference and implicit attitude toward sweet in normal-weight subjects. In study 1, normal-weight (n = 22) and overweight/obese (n = 11) adults were assessed for sweet tas...

Decision-makers often do not or cannot predict at the time of choice how their tastes may change by the time the outcomes are experienced. This paper explores the implications of making decisions by maximizing experienced utility ex post rather than ex ante. Focusing on being satisfied with choice in retrospect results in quite different kinds of problems than a prospective orientation that pro...

The objective of this study was to determine the sensory acceptance and emotional profile sheep milk kefir sweetened with different sugars (demerara sugar, brown fructose, coconut honey, 100 g/L). Consumers (n = 100) assessed (appearance, aroma, taste, texture, overall impression), expressed their emotions (satisfied, active, loving, calm, comfortable, energetic, happy, healthy, refreshing, dis...

Orally Disintegrating Tablets (ODT) have the advantages of both solid dosage form specially the stability and ease of handling and liquid dosage forms including ease of swallowing and pre-gastric absorption. We focused on taste masking and formulation of ranitidine ODT which disintegrates rapidly in the mouth within 60 sec using super-disintegrants, special polymers, water soluble and even inso...

This paper challenges the common assumption that economic agents know their tastes. After reviewing previous research showing that valuation of ordinary products and experiences can be manipulated by non-normative cues, we present three studies showing that in some cases people do not have a pre-existing sense of whether an experience is good or bad—even when they have experienced a sample of i...

We develop a theory of imperfect competition with loss-averse consumers. All consumers are fully informed about match value and price at the time they make their purchasing decision. However, a share of consumers are initially uncertain about their tastes and form a reference point consisting of an expected match value and an expected price distribution, while other consumers are perfectly info...

In developing countries markets for agri-food products are changing at a pace that is unparalleled in modern history. Markets are increasingly open and increasingly homogenized toward international tastes and requirements for levels of quality, packaging, safety, and even process attributes such as socially or environmentally friendly methods. New distribution channels, dominated by larger firm...

Primary sensory cortices are remarkably organized in spatial maps according to specific sensory features of the stimuli. These cortical maps can undergo plastic rearrangements after changes in afferent ("bottom-up") sensory inputs such as peripheral lesions or passive sensory experience. However, much less is known about the influence of "top-down" factors on cortical plasticity. Here, we studi...

The cortical processing of umami shows what makes it pleasant and appetitive. The pleasantness of umami reflects and is correlated with processing in the secondary taste cortex in the orbitofrontal cortex and tertiary taste cortex in the anterior cingulate cortex, whereas processing in the primary (insular) taste cortex reflects physical properties such as intensity. However, glutamate presente...