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PurposeThis study aims to examine how the clickbait headlines influence the perceived source credibility, subjective norm, perceived benefit and purchasing intention of customers on social commerce through social media platforms in different interpersonal relationship strength scenarios.Design/methodology/approachA total of three studies were employed online to test the hypotheses. Study 1 used a single-factor, two-condition (clickbait: yes vs no) between-subject design. Both study 2 and study 3 employed a 2 (clickbait: yes vs no) × 2 (relationships: close friend vs stranger) between-subject design. All data were sourced randomly from 729 respondents in China. Data and models were analyzed by using SPSS and Mplus.FindingsStudy 1 illustrated that clickbait has a negative effect on perceived credibility and purchase intention, and the perceived credibility mediated the relationship between clickbait and purchase intention. Study 2 replicated such finding and demonstrated that the interpersonal relationship strength interacts with the influence from clickbait to purchase intention. Study 3 enhanced the mechanism of source credibility found in the above studies and further revealed that perceived benefit and perceived norm had a mediating role in the purchase-making process online.Originality/valueResearch efforts to date concentrate on how to detect and reduce clickbait headlines. This paper adopts a different perspective, considering the consequences of clickbait in the marketing domain. This study reveals the effects of clickbait on purchase intention and the mechanism behind this process under different scenarios.

PurposeTravel websites allow tourists to share their thoughts, beliefs and experiences regarding various travel destinations. In this paper, the researchers demonstrated an approach for destination marketing organisations to explore online tourist-generated content and understand tourists' perceptions of the destination image (DI). Specifically, the researchers initiated an investigation examining how the destination image of Macau changed during the period of 2014–2018 based on user-generated content on travel websites.Design/methodology/approachWeb crawlers developed by Python were employed to collect tourists' reviews from both Ctrip and TripAdvisor regarding the theme of “Macau attraction”. A total of 51,191 reviews (41,352 from Ctrip and 9,839 from TripAdvisor) were collected and analysed using the text-mining technique.FindingsThe results reveal that the frequency of casino-related words decreased in reviews by both international and mainland Chinese tourists. Additionally, international and mainland Chinese tourists perceive the DI of Macau differently. Mainland Chinese tourists are more sensitive to new attractions, while international tourists are not. The study also shows that there are differences between the government-projected DI and the tourist-perceived DI. Only the “City of Culture” and “A World Centre of Tourism and Leisure” have built recognition with tourists.Originality/valueGiven the easy accessibility of online information from various sources, it is important for destination marketing organisations to analyse and monitor different DI perspectives and adjust their branding strategies for greater effectiveness. This study uncovered the online DI of Macau by using text mining and content analysis of two of the largest travel websites. By analysing and comparing the differences and relationships among the frequently used words of tourist-generated content on these websites, the researchers revealed some interesting findings with important marketing implications.

This study examines how a disfluent celebrity endorser’s face affects the level of consumer engagement with brand name in the advertisement. Focusing on metacognition theories, results from three e...

PurposeThis research extends the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and aims to study the underlying factors that influence Chinese consumers' purchase intentions towards green products. The conceptual model encompasses four elements (subjective norms, perceived behaviour control, moral norms and attitude) and one consumer response (purchase intention).Design/methodology/approachThe current research employs a questionnaire survey and two experiments. In Study 1, the hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling with 485 consumers in China. Study 2 employed a single-factor, two-condition (morally engaged vs control), between-subject design.FindingsThe findings reveal that the morally extended TPB framework is more applicable in predicting Chinese consumers' green purchase intentions than the original TPB model. Attitude plays the most significant role in predicting purchase intentions, and moral norms prove to be a mediator of the relationship between the original construct of subjective norms and purchase intentions. The findings further revealed that moral norms comprise the underlying mechanism of the relationship between subjective norms and attitude.Originality/valueThis study therefore expands the TPB theory by including moral norms. Moreover, it contributes to the literature by clarifying the direct, indirect and total effects of each TPB element on the purchase intentions towards green products. Finally, managerial implications are given.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on how corporate social responsibility (CSR) (i.e. responsibility to customers, employees and society) influences customer behavioural loyalty in the hotel industry. The mediating effects of brand image and customer trust on the relationship between CSR and customer behavioural loyalty are also considered. Design/methodology/approach In total, 298 valid responses to questionnaire surveys were collected from a convenience sample in China in 2017. A structural equation model was used to test the hypotheses. Findings Hotel customer behavioural loyalty can be enhanced by CSR performance. Performance in each of the three CSR domains positively impacted customer behavioural loyalty to different degrees. The impact of CSR on the customer had the strongest influence on Chinese customers’ behavioural loyalty among the three CSR domains of customer, employee and society. Brand image and customer trust were found to be mediators of the relationship between CSR performance and customer behavioural loyalty. Originality/value The current research contributes to the literature by demonstrating that CSR activities are not all equally effective. Results reveal that the society dimension of CSR had the strongest impact on Chinese customers’ brand image of hotels among the three CSR dimensions investigated. In terms of Chinese hotel customers’ trust, the CSR–customer dimension plays the most effective role. The findings also support the notion that Chinese consumers are beginning to use CSR information to evaluate hotels.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of celebrity’s poses on consumer attitudes towards the endorsement advertisement by drawing from perceptual fluency hypotheses. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 used a single-factor, two-condition (distinctive pose and casual pose) between-subject design. Both Study 2a and Study 2b employed a single-factor, two-condition (distinctive pose, casual pose) between-subject design and tested the mediator of pose matchiness. Study 3 employed a 2 (pose condition: distinctive, casual)×2 (cognitive capacity: no load, load) between-subject design to test the moderator. All data were sourced from more than 600 respondents in China. Findings Study 1 illustrated that the existence of a distinctive pose can lead to higher consumer attitudes regarding advertising stimuli and the endorsed brands as well as more positive behavioural intentions towards endorsed products. Study 2a and Study 2b replicated such finding and demonstrated that the feeling of pose matchiness mediates the relationship between celebrities’ pose and endorsement outcomes. Study 3 further revealed that the cognitive capacity moderates such a relationship, that is, that the effect of a distinctive pose is stronger (lesser) when audiences’ cognitive capacity is loaded (not loaded). Originality/value Research efforts to date examining the nature of celebrity advertisement have been limited to celebrity’s faces and facial expressions. Little investigation in the marketing domain has considered the consequences of celebrities’ poses. This study takes the first step in revealing the positive effect of distinctive celebrity poses in product endorsement.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the marketing results of video blogging (vlogging). In particular, the authors are interested in understanding which video bloggers (vloggers) can better help marketers develop their brand image, which vlog viewers tend to evaluate vlogger-endorsed brands more positively, and how these effects occur. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was conducted with a convenience sample online. A total of 401 valid responses were collected. Regression analyses and bootstrapping were used to test the hypotheses. Findings The authors found that vloggers’ physical and social attractiveness and the audience’s viewing motives (entertainment motive and relationship-building motive) and behavior (time spent on the media) increased the audience’s evaluations of the brands endorsed by the vloggers (perceived brand quality, brand affect and brand preference). The authors also found that these relationships were mediated by the parasocial interaction (PSI) between the vloggers and the audience. Practical implications The findings of this study suggest that marketers can develop relationships with consumers and enhance their brand evaluations via vloggers. This strategy is more effective when brand managers use more attractive vloggers and target viewers who spend a lot of time on vlogs seeking entertainment or hoping to build relationships. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by showing that vlogging can affect brand evaluations through the development of PSI between vloggers and viewers. The authors extended the focus of vlog marketing research from consumers’ watching and sharing behaviors and their perception of vloggers to brand evaluations, from vloggers’ characteristics to viewers’ characteristics and from the Western to the Eastern context.

PurposeThe clothing industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world, although manufacturers and retailers are trying to revert this tendency by applying ethical fashion principles. Drawing on the knowledge–attitude–behavior (KAB) model or practice, this study aims to predict Chinese consumers' purchase intention of ethical fashion by employing and extending the theory of planned behavior (TPB).Design/methodology/approachThe extended TPB model incorporates knowledge of ethical fashion and trust in the fashion industry and two critical variables in ethical fashion literature to explain the purchase intention of ethical fashion. Primary data from 245 Chinese respondents were collected in 2019. The model was tested and analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsResults show that the extended TPB model has higher predictability than the original TPB model. Attitude toward ethical fashion and subjective norm significantly predicts purchase intention while perceived behavioral control (PBC) does not. In addition, trust of ethical fashion is positively related to attitude toward ethical fashion and purchase intention, whereas knowledge of ethical fashion plays a significant role in predicting trust and the three TPB factors. The subjective norm was found to have the most significant impact on consumers' intention to purchase ethical fashion, which shows that social pressure from one individual's reference group is the most dominant factor in forming consumer's purchase intention on ethical fashion.Originality/valueThe findings enrich the past literature on ethical fashion that trusting belief is a salient determinant of consumers' attitude toward ethical fashion and purchase intention of ethical fashion products. The findings also supported the applicability of KAB and TPB in the domain of ethical consumption in the context of a developing country.

Background The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of Onjisaponin B (OB) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cognitive deficits. Methods The rats were divided into four groups: sham group, LPS group (the model group), LPS + OB (1 mg/kg) group and LPS + OB (2 mg/kg) group. OB was treated three days before surgery and thereafter continuously for 7 days. Three days later, rats were intracerebroventricularly injected with LPS. The levels of inflammatory cytokines and the capability of free radical scavenging in serum and hippocampus were determined after the LPS challenge. PC12 cells were divided into control group, LPS group (the model group), LPS + OB (10 µM) group, LPS + OB (20 µM) group, LPS + OB (40 µM) group, LPS + OB (2 mg/kg) + nicotinamide group. The cell viability was measured by MTT assay. The protein expressions of Sirt1, p-AMPK, AMPK, Nrf-2, HO-1, Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-9, caspase-3, p-IκBα, IκBα, p-NF-κBp65 and NF-κBp65 were detected by western blot analysis. Results As a result, OB administration effectively relived the cognitive impairment, reduced the contents of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, MDA and restored SOD activities of SOD in serum and hippocampus of LPS-induced rats. Furthermore, OB treatment improved cell viability, ameliorated the alterations of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, MDA and SOD in the supernatant of LPS-induced PC12 cells. Of note, the expressions of Sirt1, Nrf-2, HO-1, Bcl-2 and p-AMPK were downregulated, while Bax, caspase-9, caspase-3 and the phosphorylations of IκBα and NF-κBp65 in the LPS-stimulated hippocampus and PC12 cells were increased attributed to the LPS stimulation. Nevertheless, the conditions were significantly attenuated by OB treatment. In the LPS-induced PC12 cell, nicotinamide, a SIRT1 inhibitor, abrogated the beneficial effects of OB, as indicated by the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptosis signaling. Conclusion Based on the above evidence, our results demonstrated that OB was a potential therapeutic candidate for LPS-induced cognitive deficits.

Objective To quantitatively analyze distribution characteristics of sweat gland nerve fibres (SGNF) in normal Chinese individuals for obtaining a reference for early diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy. Patients and methods Skin biopsy samples were collected from 192 normal Chinese individuals and divided into six, four and two groups according to anatomic sites, age and gender, respectively. SGNF morphology was observed and SGNF density (SGNFD) was determined. Results There was a significant difference in SGNFD among different anatomic sites, age and gender. A degressive tendency was observed from proximal to distal anatomic sites. SGNFD was the lowest in subjects in the 21–40-year-old age group, but was the highest in subjects in the >61-year-old age group. Overall, SGNFD fluctuated with age. SGNFD in males was significantly higher than that in females. Conclusions Distribution characteristics of SGNF in normal individuals may serve as a reference for early diagnosis of nerve fibre damage.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a general neurodegenerative disorder which largely has an effect on the society of the aged populations. PD is distinguishedwith loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra. The exceptional properties of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have fascinated great attention in biomedical applications. In this present study, we explored theprospective beneficial effects of AuNPs synthesized from Cinnamomum verum on PD. PD rat models were established through MPTP injection treatment and AuNPs was administered. Administration of AuNPs reduces effect of MPTP-induced oxidative stress and motor abnormalities observed in PD rats. In addition ELISA analysis demonstrated that AuNPs treatment significantly attenuates Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α), Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) expression levels. Consequently, we investigated TLR/NF-κB pathway to examine the function of AuNPs on MPTP- induced PD rats. We found that AuNPs suppressed the alterations in the pathway of TLR/NF-κB associated molecules in MPTP stimulated PD rats. Hence, our results suggest that AuNPs attenuates MPTP introduced motor disorders, oxidative stress, activated inflammatory cytokines and activated TLR/NF-κB signaling in PD rats. In conclusion, AuNPs ease PD symptoms by the inhibition of TLR/NF-κB signaling pathway and recommend promise approach in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as PD.

The study was aimed to observe the morphology of intraepidermal nerve fibre (IENF) and to explore the relationships between intraepidermal nerve fibre density (IENFD) and anatomic sites, age, genders and races. Intraepidermal nerve fibre was observed using immunohistochemistry. The relationships between IENFD and anatomic sites, ages, genders and races were analysed by quantitative analysis of IENFD. Five patterns of the IENFs were observed according to the morphological classification. A significant difference was observed in IENFD between different anatomic sites (P

Parkinson disease is one of the most common neurological movement disorders affecting geriatric population. Biosynthesized gold nanoparticles are the ideal alternatives spotlighted by many researchers to treat various diseases. In the present study we synthesized gold nanoparticles using the root extract of Paeonia mountan, woody trees which are used in traditional Chinese medicine to be prescribed for diverse diseases. The synthesis of gold nanoparticles was confirmed with UV-Vis spectroscopic analysis and characterized using FTIR, HR-TEM, EDAX and XRD analysis. The cytotoxicity property of synthesized gold nanoparticles was assessed using MTT assay in the murine microglial BV2 cells. The neuroprotective effect of synthesized gold nanoparticles in inflammatory agent lipopolysaccharides triggered murine microglial BV2 cells was evaluated using nitric oxide, prostaglandin E2 and inflammatory cytokines assays such as IL-6&IL-1β. Further to confirm in vivo effect of synthesized nanoparticles, the nanoparticles were treated to Parkinson induced C57BL/6 mice. Behavioral, biochemical and molecular analysis were performed to estimate the potency of synthesized gold nanoparticles against the Parkinson induction in mice model. Our characterization results prove the gold nanoparticles synthesized using Paeonia mountan fulfills the requirement of ideal nanodrug and it potentially inhibited the inflammation in in vitro murine microglial BV2. The results of in vivo experiments authentically confirm gold nanoparticles synthesized using Paeonia mountan alleviates the neuroinflammation and improves the motor coordination in Parkinson induced mice.

To analyze intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IEFND) by skin biopsy, evaluate the effect of age, anatomical sites, and ethnic origin on IEFND and develop a reference range of IENFD at the distal leg of healthy human.Seventy skin biopsy specimens from surgical procedures involving 70 patients were analyzed. Specimens were fixed routinely in formalin and thereafter embedded in paraffin. Nerve fibers of 10-μm-thick sections were observed using immunoperoxidase staining with panaxonal antibody protein gene product 9·5 (PGP 9·5). The morphology of intraepidermal nerve fibers (IENFs) and the IENFD was determined using light microscope. The statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 16·0 software.No significant correlation was observed between IENFD and age (Pwrist = 0·830, Pdistal leg = 0·478). The significant correlation was observed between IENFD and anatomic site (P = 0·001), the IENFD of upper arm and proximal thigh were significantly higher than that of wrist and distal leg. The reference range for IENFD of distal leg in normal Chinese humans was 40·55 fibers/mm(2). The IEFND of Chinese healthy human was significantly lower than that of Finnish (62·87 ± 15·25 vs 114·617 ± 32·322 fibers/mm(2), P0·05).Skin biopsy may be a useful tool in sensory neuropathies. IENFD is independent of age, but varies in different parts of the body. The proximal sites have a higher IENFD, but no significant difference is found between the wrist and distal leg.

An algorithm of online similarity query of dynamic time sequences is proposed as for the need of time sequences real-time analysis. This algorithm uses improved Euclidean Distance as similar measurement and then evaluates the similar distance between dynamic time sequences and pattern time sequences in a batch pattern using Fast Fourier Transform. In order to shorten waiting time prediction patterns are used to predict feature value and accomplish fast response of online query by comparing the similarity between prediction sequences and pattern sequences. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can efficiently and correctly solve the online similar query.

Nowadays there are some popular full-text index models, such as the Inverted-File model, Signature File model and Pat array model. But all these models have their own disadvantages. In this paper a new full-text index model-Inter-relevant Successive Trees model is put forward. Experiments show that it outperforms Inverted-File Model.