Popularity Brings Better Sales or Vice Versa: Evidence from Instagram and OpenTable

With the popularity of user-generated content (UGC), an increasing number of studies have investigated its impact on business performance. However, prior studies were limited to a single platform and showed the effects of UGC of a platform, for example, customer textual comments or customer numeral ratings, on sales/reservation of the same platform. In practice, users often refer to a UGC, for example, Instagram, and purchase it on other platforms. To incorporate the spillover effect, we considered the restaurant industry because it has active participation across various channels. Using topic modelling, we first identified from Instagram four topics of users’ interest regarding a restaurant, such as location, nightlife, food and celebration. From fixed effects models’ estimation, we found that (a) recommendation and mention of Instagram have positive effects, and (b) comments of location and food also have positive significant fixed effects, but (c) the impact of Instagram volume is curvilinear and positive significant effect the sales. Since the curvilinear effects may come from reverse causality, that is, higher reservation, might bring more customers and comments on social networking service (SNS) (echo verse effect in our paper). Therefore, we further analysed two-way Granger causality and panel vector autoregression to identify the endogeneity, and the results showed the existing Granger causality loop between OpenTable review and Instagram post volumes.

Response of different Bt cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) hybrids to canopy modification practices

A field investigation was carried out to characterize the growth and development of Bt cotton hybrids by detopping and use of plant growth retardants during the rainy (kharif) season of 2011 and 2012. The experimental site had loamy sand soils with normal in reaction. The experiment (split plot) involved three Bt cotton hybrids (MRC 7017, MRC 7031 and RCH 314) in main plots and growth regulation treatments (Mepiquat chloride (MC) @ 300 ppm, 2, 3, 5-tri iodo benzoic acid (TIBA) @ 100 ppm and Maelic hydrazide (MH) @ 250 ppm) in sub plots with four replications. Hybrid MRC 7017 produced significantly higher (p<0.01) seed cotton yield which was attributed to the maximum number of sympodial branches plant-1, total number of flowers and picked bolls plant-1. Application of MC @ 300 ppm, TIBA @ 100 ppm and MH @ 250 ppm reduced plant height, leaf area index and total dry matter accu-mulation than control. Detopping treatment significantly (p<0.01) reduced plant height than control but attained more plant height than all the PGRs. MC @ 300 ppm, TIBA @ 100 ppm and MH @ 250 ppm at 80 days after sowing had beneficial effect on seed cotton yield. Detopping done at 80 days after sowing failed to influence the seed cotton yield dur-ing both the years. The results revealed that foliar application of MC @ 300 ppm yielded more seed cotton by improv-ing the setting percentage and therefore, increased number of picked (open) bolls plant-1 without exhibiting any ad-verse effect on quality traits.

IL-1α, IL-6 and TNF-α in Cutaneous Lesions of Lupus Erythematosus are Inhibited by Topical Application of Calcipotriol

Lupus Erythematosus (LE) is an autoimmune disorder with an unknown etiology and pathogenesis. Skin lesions of LE express several cytokines which correlate to histological findings such as IL-1 and IL-6 which are mediators of epidermal growth and proliferation. Skin lesions of LE are generally treated with immunosuppressive agents such as oral or topically applied corticosteroids. Recently a new drug, calcipotriol, a vitamin D3 analogue has been useful in treatment of psoriasis with no ad verse effect on calcium metabolism. This drug shares immunomodulatory effects with vit. D3 by inhibiting several cytokines produced by keratinocytes. In order to test the clinical effectiveness of calcipotriol in cutaneous lesions of LE we have investigated several proinflammatory cytokines such as: IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, TNF-α. Using an avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase system we have found IL-1 in both forms, IL-6 and TNF-α in basal keratinocytes in patients affected with LE, after treatment they were reverted to normal. This inhibition is induced at a molecular level as demostrated by reduced IL-1, IL-6 and TNFα mRNA expression. This is the first report showing that calcipotriol is effective in cutaneous lesions of LE and suggesting that this action is due to an inhibition of protein synthesis and mRNA expression for IL-1α, IL-6 and TNFα.