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Marketers use celebrity endorsements to make advertisements believable and to enhance consumer recognition of the brand name. However, once a direct link has been formed from a celebrity to a brand, the negative information about the celebrity may reflect on to the endorsed brand. Applying the S-O-R model and the balance theory, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of celebrity-brand congruence and publicity on consumers’ attitudes toward the celebrity and brand as well as their buying intention. A survey of a 2 (congruence vs. incongruence) × 2 (positive vs. negative publicity) experimental design was conducted for this study. A total of 120 female Millennial consumers answered the survey and 105 surveys with usable data were collected. The mean age of the participants was 24 years old (SD = 3.28). Results found that the celebrity-brand congruence and publicity play a significant role in consumer behavior related to attitudes toward the celebrity and brand/product, as well as buying intention. Thus, retail marketers need to allocate more investigation into celebrity endorsements that match with brand image that can lead to long-term, positive partnerships.

It is not known whether a reduction in reachable workspace closely reflects loss of upper extremity strength in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). In this study we aimed to determine the relationship between reachable workspace and quantitative upper extremity strength measures.Maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) testing of bilateral elbow flexion and shoulder abduction by hand-held dynamometry was performed on 26 FSHD and 27 control subjects. In addition, Kinect sensor-based 3D reachable workspace relative surface areas (RSAs) were obtained. Loading (500-g weight) effects on reachable workspace were also evaluated.Quantitative upper extremity strength (MVIC of elbow flexion and shoulder abduction) correlated with Kinect-acquired reachable workspace RSA (R = 0.477 for FSHD, P = 0.0003; R = 0.675 for the combined study cohort, P 0.0001). Progressive reduction in RSA reflected worsening MVIC measures. Loading impacted the moderately weak individuals the most with additional reductions in RSA.Reachable workspace outcome measure is reflective of upper extremity strength impairment in FSHD.

An innovative upper extremity 3-dimensional (3D) reachable workspace outcome measure acquired using the Kinect sensor is applied toward Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy (DMD/BMD). The validity, sensitivity, and clinical meaningfulness of this novel outcome measure are examined.Upper extremity function assessment (Brooke scale and NeuroQOL questionnaire) and Kinect-based reachable workspace analyses were conducted in 43 individuals with dystrophinopathy (30 DMD and 13 BMD, aged 7-60 years) and 46 controls (aged 6-68 years).The reachable workspace measure reliably captured a wide range of upper extremity impairments encountered in both pediatric and adult, as well as ambulatory and non-ambulatory individuals with dystrophinopathy. Reduced reachable workspaces were noted for the dystrophinopathy cohort compared with controls, and they correlated with Brooke grades. In addition, progressive reduction in reachable workspace correlated directly with worsening ability to perform activities of daily living, as self-reported on the NeuroQOL.This study demonstrates the utility and potential of the novel sensor-acquired reachable workspace outcome measure in dystrophinopathy.

The formation of spines and their association with synapses were examined in developing cultured rat cortical neurons using fluorescence labeling techniques. Small protrusions were found on the processes of cultured cortical neurons after seven days in vitro (DIV), and the density of protrusions almost halved during the second week in vitro, after which it remained unchanged throughout the third week in vitro. The proportion of protrusions associated with the accumulation of the presynaptic marker, synaptophysin, increased steadily from5% at 7 DIV to approximately 50% at 21 DIV. Based on the absence or presence of an enlargement at the end, protrusions on processes were further divided into filopodia and spines, respectively. The percentage of protrusions that were classified as spines increased steadily from approximately 5% at 3-4 DIV to approximately 80% at 18-20 DIV. The percentage of spines associated with synaptophysin accumulation increased gradually as the cortical neurons developed in vitro, reaching a plateau of approximately 40% after two weeks. However, the percentage of filopodia associated with synaptophysin accumulation never exceeded 5% during the first three weeks in vitro. Double-label staining the microfilaments and beta-tubulin or phosphorylated neurofilament H of cultured neurons further revealed many spines without any nearby axon-like processes. These findings suggest that spines are the dominant form of protrusion on the processes of more mature cortical neurons, that spines are the preferential sites where synapses reside, and that maintaining constant contact with axons is not essential for the formation of spines in cultured cortical neurons.